Re:Mining in Space Could Lead to Conflicts on Earth
by landryraccoon on Tuesday April 19, 2016 @02:31PM
(#11529064)
> When Europeans set sail for the "New World" hundreds of years ago, there was a huge financial incentive.
Religion was actually a big reason too. Perhaps in the modern era after the caliphate fails to establish their Islamic kingdom on earth, they will attempt to do it in space.
Money is a good reason to temporarily get equipment and people into space, but those people ultimately want to come back home. To get colonists to leave earth forever, raise families while risking life and limb (and their children's life and limb) in a hostile, dangerous environment forever, you'll need more than a paycheck. You have to be fanatically devoted to it. Religion will do it.
However, what is the financial incentive for this? Are the new investors of SpaceX, really going to want to waste billions upon billions of dollars, for something that will not make money? Hell no.
When Europeans set sail for the "New World" hundreds of years ago, there was a huge financial incentive. Gold and other raw materials.
As much as I respect the idea of getting people living on Mars. It's ass backwards. We have to start with mining or something very profitable. Then we can get people living in space or other planets / astroids.