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The Best Near-Term Future of Space Exploration?

Posted by Soulskill on from the resources-beyond-imagining dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Much fanfare has been made about manned missions to moons and planets, but little has been done about travel to the asteroids — until now. NASA is working on plans for a trip to the asteroids by 2025. This type of mission has great potential for positive economic return based on the fact that no effort has to be spent on getting in and out of a distant planet's gravity well. Yes, we should go to the planets, but we should master mining the asteroid belt for resources first because it is easiest. What do you think?"

11 of 444 comments (clear)

  1. It's a challenging game by SpaceLifeForm · · Score: 3, Funny

    But someone has to play it.

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    You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
  2. Why mine the asteroids? by ignavus · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just tie a rope to them from your spaceship and tow them back to earth.

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    I am anarch of all I survey.
    1. Re:Why mine the asteroids? by Locke2005 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I prefer to just sit there in the middle of the asteroids, spinning around while shooting missiles at them to break them into smaller and smaller pieces...

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      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    2. Re:Why mine the asteroids? by rts008 · · Score: 2, Funny

      And what happens when the orbit gets miscalculated and the rock re-enters?

      That could get ugly.

      ...which will wipe out New York.

      Wait, what? Where's the downside?

      I feel cheated!

      You started off so well....

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    3. Re:Why mine the asteroids? by RichiH · · Score: 2, Funny

      I suggest the Aitken basin. That, or your mom.

  3. Re:Why mining? by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 4, Funny

    The amount of wealth in metals in the asteroids is nearly unimaginable. A single small asteroid could be worth trillions of dollars.

    oh sure, its in a nice neighborhood and all; but the commute's a real bitch.

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    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  4. Re:worth trillions? by maxume · · Score: 5, Funny

    If it was, it wouldn't be.

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    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  5. Re:worth trillions? by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 2, Funny

    I nominate the post above for the "Yogi Berra is Right" award because he is.

  6. Re:The concept that asteroids are easiest is ... by Minwee · · Score: 5, Funny

    Perhaps watching 'The Empire Strikes Back' is not the best way to learn Astronomy.

  7. Re:Why mining? by Thing+1 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Depends on what you call "home", I suppose... (Seriously: thanks to Time for Timer[1], I used to think that the bacteria in my teeth had briefcases, and had some "home" that they went to, when they weren't busy removing my plaque... Ah, childish notions...)

    [1] -- "When my ten-gallon hat is feeling five-gallons flat, I hanker for a hunk of cheese!" I think that did far more than the "Got Milk?" campaign did, especially when they started suing any "Got X?"-alikes.

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    I feel fantastic, and I'm still alive.
  8. Re:Mining asteroids makes no economic sense by The+Brother+Grim · · Score: 2, Funny

    What could we possibly mine on an asteroid that could be worth the enormous cost of retrieving it from the asteroid belt?

    Element Zero.