Meme-Dozer OP t1_j28hky3 wrote on December 30, 2022 at 12:09 PM

Reply to comment by RockyMtnBullTesties in ELI5 Are money slowing us down from being a multiplanetary species? by Meme-Dozer

I mean , they don’t have to worry about resources , if they were just able to mine from asteroids or the solar system. We could have drones , bases to make it automatic. Resources wouldn’t be a worry , if we could just stop mining on earth, I just don’t get why stuck in a bubble and not expand.

RockyMtnBullTesties t1_j28jc75 wrote on December 30, 2022 at 12:29 PM

Yea but we need resources in order to create the tech that gets us to moons and asteroids and the tech to mine those moons and asteroids. And our resources here are limited.

Meme-Dozer OP t1_j28jmxu wrote on December 30, 2022 at 12:32 PM

We already created space probes that destroyed asteroids and even collected samples , the resources we gathered from the asteroids could be used to build more drones and probes , the first and second ones would probably be nearby earth asteroids and the cycle keeps on going.

RockyMtnBullTesties t1_j28ourg wrote on December 30, 2022 at 1:24 PM

Collecting samples is VERY different from mining for resources. The tech may be related but it’s like digging a hole with a garden spade vs a mechanical backhoe. A lot of money/development needs to go into that and our governments choose to use that money elsewhere instead. That’s not to say it won’t ever happen. We’re closer than ever. But I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon.