We should be 'consuming' asteroids. Mining and manufacturing in space is the way of the future.
One average-sized near Earth asteroid rich in platinum group metals (PGMs, or PeGgyMays) is equal to the entire annual gross product of the world!
Exotic metals have a role in electronics and the zero gravity of space combined with no atmosphere allows metals to assume new forms unattainable on Earth.
We could pay off our national debts very quickly and cause an industrial and technological boom, all at the same time.
For environmental reasons, as well as technological reasons, it is doable right now with present technology.
I really hate to think the Chinese will beat us to this.
It is the Third Industrial Revolution and Americans should be on the frontier leading the way.
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Fact following fiction
That's a great line because it happens so often.
The Chinese WILL beat us to this and whatever is left of our country by then will be either trying to play catch-up or will be buying our precious minerals from the Chinese.
Note how the U.K. had big plans for space exploration for the last 50 years but nothing came to fruition, they can only buy satelites and launches from others and haven;t done much in space themselves. This is because the “farewell to the state, welfare state” always took top priority.
Armageddon Ping...
FYI
There was a rather silly 1979 movie with several big names (Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, Henry Fonda) that had the U.S. and the Soviet Union combine forces to smash a meteor into itty bitty pieces.
I’d like to know how they came up with a 1 in 250,000 chance of impact in 24 years, and if that is really the case, that they are extremely premature about screwing with it at all. If it isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it! Never assume anything.
Check this out, SatinDoll. It may explain why the EU is testing astroid busting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Yq3KhH0r8