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It is odd to mention expense for terrestrial mining in this context. Asteroid material will become important once orbital construction has seriously taken off,
by pencilguin 4y ago
It is odd to mention expense for terrestrial mining in this context.
Asteroid material will become important once orbital construction has seriously taken off, after Musk is long dead. In the meantime, the only valuable exports will be the engines that got supplies out there. With their bells cut off.
- imiric 4y ago> It is odd to mention expense for terrestrial mining in this context. Only to point out that it's not "worth a lot more", nor that it's "ready to be dug up". > Asteroid material will become important once orbital construction has seriously taken off, after Musk is long dead. Possibly, but Mars exploration is an even longer-term bet, which has little to no financial benefits. Considering Musk has experience in boring, space, and starting outlandish ventures, asteroid mining seems like a good fit. It could be a lucrative shorter-term project, that could fund his Mars and beyond exploration goals. It might even be achievable within his lifetime, by focusing on near-Earth objects. Granted, this is all speculation from a layperson, but I'm curious if this has ever been considered.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]