This isn't about workplace safety, this is about mass slavery. I'm not going to cheer for "human advancement" if it's advancing one human at the expense of 100,000. AND YES I know that I participate in society; I just don't think you can justify space mining when the guys calling for it are fans of the trans-atlantic slave trade.
I don't see how asteroid mining or technological advancements encourage slavery at all. No more than any other business practice. Especially if we set policies that guarantee good working conditions and pay while punishing entities (and even people) severely for violating those rules. Hell, a great argument can be made for space-based solar completely solving all of our energy needs on Earth.
When I was a kid, I was a HUGE fan of science fiction, and especially space travel. The asshole billionaires who've taken over from non-profit science-nerd operations like NASA have entirely killed my enthusiasm for it. The future's looking a lot less Star Trek and a lot more Soylent Green every day that passes.
The problem is the science-nerd operations were no longer getting it done because they weren't the science-nerd operations they started as. The government quit funding R&D and (really education in general). I would absolutely love to get back to that as well.
I’m glad you’re optimistic; I imagine these times have turned me prematurely into a pragmatic old woman.
Musk flaunts every law he can. Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is Building the Vegas Loop With Little Oversight — ProPublica
Musk is tweeting that he wants the U.S. to buy Greenland. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...enland-they-would-be-most-welcome/ar-AA1x7YhJ My opinion is that Rhode Island should buy Greenland. Then Rhode Islanders can visit Texas and proudly kick everyone's ass.
Asteroid mining is centuries in the future. I read space stuff daily by engineers. You probably read stuff by science fiction writers. No one who I read pairs mining with space exploration. You sound silly when you do so. asteroid to Earth: Musk himself admitted that there is no substance (e.g. emeralds, uranium), no matter how costly to mine on Earth, which is cheaper to mine in space, then bring to Earth.* asteroid to anywhere else: For at least a couple of centuries (and I think double that), it will be cheaper to import from Earth. The U.S. imported all but basic technology from Europe until the late 1800s, when American population was bigger than Britain's. *Edit: He added that this is true, even "if the substance is lying on the surface." That means, transportation cost (of cargo to Earth) alone precludes mining. You don't have to include mining cost (bringing to the asteroid, and maintaining, workers and hundreds of tons of industrial machines).
Musk humorously posts under different names, then reverts to his own name. It lasts up to 2 weeks. Most recently, he used Kekius Maximus. https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47352.msg2652264#msg2652264
Sure, but there is nothing wrong with working toward that. There really isn't a downside and we'll likely make a lot of advancements (by working toward that goal) which will be very beneficial for humanity now and in the near future.
The downside of a fake/aspirational goal is the waste of money, which could be spent on a reachable goal. Fats, you seen interested in space, so I'll post this. The first launch is planned at 10pm PT tonight of Jeff Bezos' new rocket, with half the thrust and weight of a Saturn 5 but reusable.
I'll pull out my HCP playbook to find something I wouldn't have thought of. Hmm page 457, here's one. "Quality post, FAMS!"
