Is there merit in it, or is profit simply cash? What is the time frame for the returns, etc. What I like about space is that you can't know, really, what you will learn by going there. I think some companies are getting into space, precisely because it is a laboratory that almost guarantees new breakthroughs in science. Those should be profitable at some point, but I agree I don't think companies are gonna go mine for gold or oil any time soon. But to answer your question, what I like about space is that the encounter with it challenges our abilities and assumptions like very few encounters still do. I agree that venturing into space is potentially an evolutionary event, and I'm all for evolving. Being active in our engagement with space changes how we can feel about the Earth itself. Astronauts have talked about how meaningful it is to them to simply look at the Earth, and how that changes what it means to them.
The thing about companies mining in space is actually interesting. As of right now, a lot of our technologies are held back based on not having enough access to rare-earth metals such as gold, lithium, platinum, etc. Perhaps this is even a part of the reason Elon Musk became a part of SpaceX, knowing Tesla's electric cars were going to need a lot of lithium for their batteries; so much so that they're building a gigafactory to double the global output of lithium batteries in the next 2 years, and even build further factories elsewhere based on demand. I haven't done the math, but I think, if with our current output of lithium batteries we're already becoming aware of our limit in lithium reserves, a yearly doubling, tripling, etc. the yearly output will make it as apparent, if not more so than our current oil crisis. And it's not as if we'll go back to oil, or stop using rare-earth metals. We'll need to venture into the void of space collecting them from wherever we can, and bringing them back to our home (wherever that may be at the time). This however invokes a further question in me. If we were to be forced to evacuate the earth and live somewhere else, would we still continue with earth-based industry? By that time space travel will presumably be a better-known science and possibly be able to be set up and performed by robots, and robotic engineering will be advanced enough that things like assembly lines will be able to run autonomously with minimal human interaction. I think it would be interesting to find out if the human government would decide to further destroy earth as a lost cause and to avoid damaging other planets needlessly, or if we'd decide to spread it through the solar system to do minimal impact everywhere. Perhaps even have industrial sectors based in moon and planet-like satellites that can be landed on and maintained manually, but wouldn't require things such as cooling, and would maintain the beauty of all the planets.
I don't disagree. I see what you believe, I however don't think "a lot" of "our" technologies are held back due to a lack of rare earth metals. If that were so I believe we would have more market pressure to recycle said metals. Elon Musk... I get the feeling that what he wants to do and what will be done might differ, and I don't think the difference will be decided so much by the availability of lithium. I would guess that the success or failure of his endeavors will have more to do with corporate and governmental actions (or non-actions). Uh, hrm.... Yes? But, in a different way. I mean it depends way too much on what you consider the traditions of earth-based industry. I doubt humans will treat the rest of the universe with too much more care than they (we) have Earth. My guess would be that we will have some form of space based slavery. That hangs on my definition of slavery..... Odd to have this thread pop back up.The thing about companies mining in space is actually interesting.
As of right now, a lot of our technologies are held back based on not having enough access to rare-earth metals such as gold, lithium, platinum, etc.
This however invokes a further question in me. If we were to be forced to evacuate the earth and live somewhere else, would we still continue with earth-based industry?
It would seem that our encounter with space is like no other, at least that's what people with first-hand experience claim. The Overview Effect is something I should very much like to experience someday. There is certainly something noble about partaking in endeavors of these magnitudes solely for the sake of experience and research without any certain monetary returns. I am excited to see what the future holds, as I can tell you are too. Thank you for the comment and welcome to Hubski!