Is Space flight worth it?

[Andy44]

So then, after 6 pages, have we answered the question?

 

[Zachstar]

The primary advantages of asteroid resource are:

1. Already up there (in orbit)(All types including carbon-water, silicate and iron nickel)
2. km^3 Hunks of non-oxidized metal
3. More accessible Heavy metals (as the majority percentage didn't sink unreachable into the planetary mantle)

The primary disadvantages mostly stem from the fact that asteroids are in space:

1. Vacuum environment
2. Far away
3. Hasn't exactly ever been done.

This brings up why "roid" mining will be far in the future. There is absolutely zero need for it on earth. Earth not only has the resources that just take active energy to extract.. It has a full history of experience with mining. All which goes not the window working in space.

Like I said before we have not even started ocean mining yet. We have not even started seawater filtering yet which while greatly energy intensive yields gold, uranium, metals, loads of salt, and of course a finished product of absolutely clean water that can be pumped inland. Oil drilling can barely be called ocean mining. Because true ocean mining will require people to find veins in deep dark conditions. Right now land mining beats its costs right and left tho ocean mining for even rare minerals will beat roid mining right and left.

In the US there is a GREAT many mines closed due to veins dying up. Many were closed decades ago but recent great price increases have some of these mines reopening. But even some of the worst producing mines will beat roid mining.

That is just in the US. In china mines are opening right and left due to their huge economic boom in the past decades and due to the want for domestic supplies of coal and metals.

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Of course in space it is a completely different matter and more in focus with the topic. Man will eventually have to consider building population centers on the moon. These will of course need the rare metals and other material found in asteroids. When we build large craft that move between the planets it will need material from asteroids. But notice how I am talking about manned systems far in the future. At best a lunar population of more than 100 is 5-6 decades away assuming we get fusion. However in the meantime the manned programs in the US have reeked of jobs programs and other political goals rather than serious exploration of space. If Ares results in another moonflight the next words from the moon ought to be "One small step for jobs, One giant leap for feel good politics"

 

[Ghostrider]

One small step for jobs

Why did I read it "One iStep for Jobs"?