Heh yeah, interesting to ponder. I imagine that others will race off to mine other asteroids, and the price of platinum and other rare metals/minerals will plum

Heh yeah, interesting to ponder. I imagine that others will race off to mine other asteroids, and the price of platinum and other rare metals/minerals will plummet. Or maybe you'll get a resurgence of nation-state-level companies like the old Dutch East Indies company, as well as piracy.