Moon Mining Gets a Closer Look

happylucky writes "There are many obstacles to creating a space colony on the moon, primarily food, water, and oxygen. Since it is so expensive to bring supplies from the earth, some scientists have suggested that we mine the moon. In an article in the Toronto Star, Dale Boucher suggests the best way to do this would be to develop a mining colony. To that end, the Sudbury-based Northern Center for Advanced Technology has linked Canada's mining industry with some of the top minds on space.Mining the moon was considered earlier this month at the Planetary and Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium which attracted some 100 delegates, including experts from the Canadian Space Agency, NASA and the European Space Agency. There are other hurdles of course that need to be figured out. The moon's gravity is one sixth that on Earth. New research, however, may lead to a solution to this problem as well. It may be possible to develop a sticky compound that can be adjusted by UV light to help adhere boots and objects to the floor."

Comments

Re:I've thought this for a long time

[Deliberate_Bastard]

Er... no.

You see, I'm not talking about what governments "should" be for. "Should" is really just a way to say "I want" using only one word.

I'm talking about what governments *do*.

Anything which can be done at a profit happens on its own, no government necessary.

Anything else which the society in question wants to do (finds worth doing), it does through a government, whether these actions be enforcing social order, making citizens go to church, exploring space, giving away tax revenues to the company with the most lobbyists, whatever.

In fact, the role of "doing what can't be done at a profit" actually defines government, since a government is that entity in a society which can compel behaviour, and behavioural compulsion is necessary to force people to make investments that do not pay off (i.e., taxes).