[bolobaby]

Here’s the benefit: not having to launch raw materials into orbit for later construction of space stations and space faring vehicles.

Launching stuff is very expensive per pound. If, instead, you could launch a small metal producing factory, that could produce hundreds of times it’s own weight in metal from mined asteroids, it would have astronomical savings.

Pun intended.

[from occupied ga]

what leads you to believe that you could process metals from a lump of rock? Pick any 30 foot lump of rock randomly on earth and see just what you can get from it. Asteroids are rocks, not chunks of metal waiting to be processed

What good is a spece station- economically speaking? (BTW that does have an answer, just not one that most people think of)

[Paleo Conservative]

Launching stuff is very expensive per pound. If, instead, you could launch a small metal producing factory, that could produce hundreds of times it’s own weight in metal from mined asteroids, it would have astronomical savings.

Also, by processing in space and just returning the end product, we could avoid quite a bit of pollution.

[bert]

If the metal on asteroids is mined and shipped off somewhere, the mass decreases. would not the decrease make it lose altitude and then impact earth?