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Asteroid mining would be necessary for colonizing Mars. Getting into Mars is technological problem. Colonizing Mars is more economical and sociological problem
by Nokinside 9y ago
Asteroid mining would be necessary for colonizing Mars.
Getting into Mars is technological problem. Colonizing Mars is more economical and sociological problem than technological problem.
Everyday living in high-tech place where everything is safety critical (like in a nuclear submarine or ISS) is extremely expensive. Productivity would have to be beyond everything that has ever existed for that becoming possibility.
If Elon Musk can crack Mars colonization economy, he has also invented something that can be used to drop F-35 fighter, nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier maintenance costs to level where they are negligible.
There is always counterarguments that are based on post-scarcity economy. I accept that argument. But we get faster into Mars if we first develop post-scarcity economy here on earth first. Then those who want to leave just move there. Those who want to go Mars now are thinking it wrong.
- Eric_WVGG 9y agoI think there’s a bit of tail wagging the dog involved, in a good way. You are correct, mining asteroids would be necessary for colonizing Mars. But mining asteroids would also bring Earth much closer to post-scarcity (maybe even as necessary!). So if building a private beach on Mars for Musk and Richard Branson and Taylor Swift is what it takes to get an asteroid mining economy rolling, then cool, that's a plan…
- Nokinside 9y agoAs others have pointed out, asteroid mining does very little to Earth. In a large scale it's only for use in space. Most rare-earth minerals are not really that rare. Mining them on earth will be more cost effective. If we need larger quantities than can be found on surface deep sea mining is still more cost effective than asteroid mining.