i think the biggest issue in this is we are going to miss out. While americans, UK and other "first world space nations" debate the "ethics" of mining space rocks the greater space community at large that has sprung up in the recent years ( Saudi arabia, India, China) are just going to do it without care for the ethics. Severely hampering other nations because we will be late to the game because we should mine a rock floating in space.

I get the debate but really if we want to advance as a species this is kinda a big step imo. Larger swaths of Material as the lack of destroying our planet. Less need to worry about wracking the ecosystem with toxic runoff if mining in space or on lifeless planets etc. Honestly i'm not sure why its a debate at times. we can literally save our planet by mining asteroids or lifeless worlds.

I know my rant sounds VERY human ( ie consume consume consume) But that is what we are. there is laws in the universe that dictate this is the order of things. i think we just expect our selves to be better as a race and when you have countries that dont care it will limit the ones power that do.