/sci/ - Science & Math

>>6176529

>>6111034
With greater funding for NASA, NASA would actually have the money to carry out large projects that could bring back large returns, like space based solar power.

With space based solar power we could have a clean, continuous, and nearly unlimited supply of energy to grow our economy.

>>6008881
>>not using abundant solar energy from space instead.

Because they don't know about space based solar power. One of the few ways aside from fusion to move up the kardashev scale

>>5363356
>>what will moon exploration get us?
A foothold to the rest of the universe, the technology we need to become a multiplanet species.

>>industrial materials
How else are we going to get materials for constructing solar power satellites that would enable us to move up the Kardashev scale past 1(we aren't even at 1).

Oh and plenty of nice technology along the way. After all, it ain't easy living on an airless rock!

As you said, the possibilities are endless.

>>4567621
Another reason for mining asteroids is space construction materials. It cost a lot in terms of energy and money to move stuff out of Earth's gravity well.

It doesn't make sense to launch tonnages of construction materials from Earth, when you can just as easily obtain them from an asteroid.

If we ever wanted to build space colonies or space solar power satellites(pic related), it'd make sense to mine asteroids.