1. I am picturing removing hydrocarbons from Titan, say with a space elevator (much more practical out there where a broken cable would not be such a target for muslim savages).
2. Capture steam or (just recover liquid water) from asteroid, or perhaps cut to the chase with O2/O3 if found. I agree some sort of cracking of h20 would be needed if only water could be found, probably solar or heat generated electric -— the reaction between O2 and any given hydrocarbon being considerably more energetic than with hydrogen.
Specifically, at any pressure, hydrogen gas carries less energy per volumethan methane (typical natural gas). At 800 bar pressure gaseous hydrogen reaches the volumetric energy density of liquid hydrogen. But the volumetric energy density of methane at 800 bar is higher by factor 3.2. The common liquid energy carriers methanol, propane and octane (representing gasoline) surpass liquid hydrogen by factors 1.7 to 3.4, respectively.
But at 800 bar or in the liquid state hydrogen must be contained in some pretty fancy stuff.
In short, this is a lot of potential energy found out in space where it can be gotten.
you are making very logical points about space exploration for raw materials, and fuel, if we are to believe the alarmist about all the shortages of materials and sources of power here on earth, yet time and time again the shortages are not realized... because, we have all the resources right here on earth in abundance...Water, we have all the water we will ever need, and with atomic power all the energy we need to clean the water, to pump the water and to recover all the minerals, as well as split the H20 into H & O...
Oil and coal can be used to make plastic and carbon products to replace steel, etc. etc. we really have no limit on our options to flourish, and grow, and populate this earth...our only limit to solve mans problems is self imposed by small, selfish greedy minds, that do not know God! and how he has made us in his image to be creative and to create!
No Limit on our possibilities!