I just started thinking about it. Why is space exploration even that necessary? They’re spending so much money on it when we have so much problems in our own planet…

  • fixmycode@feddit.cl
    12·
    7 hours ago

    yes. there’s two branching discussions here:

    • Space as a scientific topic, it needs to be understood. Our observation of reality is very local, and although we can prove that some of our assumptions about physics, life and civilization work on our neighborhood, it doesn’t mean that they’re the same everywhere. That alone is sufficient reason for me, to explore.
    • Space as the new frontier. Many if not all exploration done on planet Earth has been, in some shape or form, resource-motivated. Lands, food, medicine, minerals, routes, are all found through exploration and normally through people spending money looking for a return over investment. Space is no different.

    I think the interesting part is where this two branches touch: If we ever plan on capturing an asteroid for mining, the technology needs to be there to do it, and hopefully the technology is about the benefit of all humankind. This kind of development is showing us the way to move forward and solve problems. Imagine a world when we don’t need to destroy ecosystems in order to get iron because all iron comes from off-world.

    • astutemural@midwest.socialEnglish
      1·
      20 minutes ago

      I used to think this, but here’s the problem: new resources to extract mean absolutely fuck all under the current global paradigm.

      There’s enough iron out there to make several tons of it available to every human in existence for whatever they need or want to do. Will that happen? No. It’s not profitable for the owner class to do that. Instead, they will fight amongst themselves until someone has an effective monopoly on asteroid mining, and then limit the supply so they can generate maximal profit (De Beers, anyone?)

      We have the capability, right now, to feed everyone on Earth. To clothe everyone. To house everyone. We don’t. Any resources out there that we might find useful will be gated behind the same greedy, psychopathic group of leeches that currently control everything else.

      The planet isn’t being destroyed because we had no choice. The planet is being destroyed so a bunch of MBAs could show off a nice graph at the quaterly meeting. It is very much delibrate. Any resource extraction in space will solely be done in that it is more profitable than doing it on Earth, climate be damned. We need to fix that problem before asteroid mining for the good of Earth and humanity is even an option.