> So why should someone do this, unless you need a permanent human presence on the asteroid? Activity is only economically valuable if it is valued - i.e. by p

> So why should someone do this, unless you need a permanent human presence on the asteroid? Activity is only economically valuable if it is valued - i.e. by people. Unless there's a population of people living in space, the ore or products derived from ore need to eventually make their way to Earth in order to be worth while.