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A comment on Why Not Mars. Parent comment

Re:Why Not Mars by nine_k on Monday January 02, 2023 @01:32AM (#34215016)
Near-Earth asteroid mining? Is there anything close and worth mining? AFAIK most asteroids, including those containing valuable heavy metals like platinum, are in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter orbits. Which is significantly farther than Mars.

I more easily believe in mining rocks on Moon as cool souvenirs. (And as a first step in developing the technology.)

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Re:Why Not Mars by mulmen on Monday January 02, 2023 @05:46AM (#34216503)
Near Earth asteroids are rich in experience.
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Re:Why Not Mars by danjac on Monday January 02, 2023 @06:29AM (#34216785)
Just as with scientific research, asteroid mining will be the domain of robots. There's no economic case for sending humans for that job, and AI is improving year on year. So sadly no Belters, whatever the value of mining space rocks.
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Re:Why Not Mars by m4rtink on Monday January 02, 2023 @10:03AM (#34218594)
Even a completely useless piece of rock is already a piece of rock in space. It can be used for shielding, counterweight for a spinning habitat, melted into simple shapes to support your habitats, etc.. You can even use it for propulsion - fling it away with a mass driver or vaporize with an arc-jet through a thruster nozzle!
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