19 thoughts on “Space Mining”

1. As perspective, there is overlap between the asteroids of interest to the miners and long term impact hazards. And in searching for energetically easy asteroids with composition of interest they can’t help but map a great many asteroids that are a long term risk but not of short term mining interest. Property rights to a few unclaimed rocks is small compensation to the global benefit rendered.

2. ” if space-based industries could drive these disparities further apart. As she asks, could Earth one day comprise a terrestrial-based underclass looking up at the off-world wealthy.”

   Look at the wealthiest cities in the world – lots of wealthy people there. Does New York have no poor or middle class people?

   1. Does New York have no poor or middle class people?

      Do ya mean relative to other New Yorkers or relative to Africa?

      ’cause relative to Africa, no.. there are no poor people in New York, New York.

   2. When the average African looks up and sees the ISS flying over, they’re seeing government employees whose education, government salaries, health care, and pension benefits would seem pretty out-of-this-world.

      So I’d say this is an example of a white liberal wanting to cling to their illusion that they’re at the top (in their own head) and should by all that’s right and just stay there.

3. “ As she asks, could Earth one day comprise a terrestrial-based underclass looking up at the off-world wealthy.”

   That would be an awesome problem to have, but then I’m not a misanthrope that thinks our species would be better off if it were subject to a planetary extinction event rather than have those greedy rich people out there living and playing around our solar system. Nevermind the fact that those greedy rich space miners would only get richer by *gasp* making our lives better and convincing us to trade our wealth for the new wealth they create.

   As an aside, does “internationally recognized (sic) leader in the emerging field of space archaeology” give anyone else the giggles?

   1. That’s like adding “xeno” to “astro” to any random specialty, allowing a person to establish themselves in a field that doesn’t have any actual data. I myself have thought of becoming a xeno-sociologist, pontificating the strange cultures of alien worlds based on my many hours of observations of Ewoks, Gungans, Ferengi, and Klingons.

      As for Elysium, “the rich people is hordin’ all the flu shots and liver transplants!!!” Where do they come up with such nonsense?

4. How dare the create a post-scaricity society and render my idealogy obselete!

5. We wasted six bucks Saturday night to watch Elysium on pay per view.

   Should have gotten it on Red Box instead, at $1.62 for Blu-Ray (price including Texas sales tax; it’s probably a few cents more in California.)

   1. Didn’t figure like going out. If we had, we’d have wasted time and money.

      1. You still wasted the time to watch it (as did I, unfortunately). A typical modern SF motion picture – great special effects, jaw-droppingly-abysmal story.

         1. Maybe watch it with the sound turned off, just to see the special effects?

6. The Wikipedia entry for Space Archaeology seems to suggest their purpose is to preserve evidence of human exploration of space, while also fighting against space tourism that might damage these human artifacts. In terms of inequality, I can’t think of anything greater than claiming “we got here first, now nobody is allowed to come here again!”, yet that seems to be exactly their goal.

   If you want another chuckle, here’s an article about her with a picture that won’t surprise anyone.

   1. I’ve actually met Alice.. had a nice time talking to her. We have just as much leftist bias in our academia as you do, and it’s not difficult to steer them in useful directions..

      I remember sitting in a session where there was discussion about lunar development (that is, mining) and the guy from JAXA expressed his view that the Moon was unowned and mining it was a sensible idea. The room fell silent and I noticed many people looking at Alice. She said something to the effect of “you can mine the Moon and still take care not to disturb historic sites”, the JAXA guy agreed and we went on talking about who might be doing that this century.

      On the other hand, if you want to get a nice soundbite, all you need do is ask their opinion of rich people, or equality, or healthcare, or any of the other frothing at the mouth topics.

   2. For some reason I am reminded of Pournelle’s Birth of Fire, wherein would-be Martian terraformers were opposed by a group of Ivy-League “activists” who wanted to keep the planet in its natural, pristine condition. Studying an old planet was more important to them than creating a new world.

7. She is from Australia, one of only 15 nations that ratified the Moon Treaty, which says a lot. I noticed there seems to be a effort in recent years by some folks to raise the Moon Treaty from the dead, and like a vampire, use it to suck the energy from space commerce ventures to keep space “pure”. Recently a writer from Europe proposed using it to create a lunar monopoly while Turkey became the 15th nation to ratify it last year.

   http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2416/1

   Looks like space advocate groups need to spend some effort to drive another stake into the Moon Treaty and make sure that vampire treaty stays good and buried.

8. Steve Sailer thinks Neill Blomkamp snuck something past the censors.
   http://takimag.com/article/elysium_neill_blomkamp_fools_the_critics_again_steve_sailer/print

   1. Interesting take. I like it. I haven’t watched the movie yet, but now I will. Not that I agree that open borders = Malthusian cataclysm.

9. I have never met Alice personally, but I communicate with her on occasion. Do know that she is a respected authority in space archeology and just because some of you don’t know what that field is plays more to your ignorance than to her silliness. Whether or not you agree with Alice’s views does not make them any less relevant. Mocking her views won’t make them go away, and as recognized expert in space law and policy I can attest to the fact that the issues she raises are real. Making fun of them will not make them any less so.

   1. Michael,
      I’m sincerely thrilled Alice is so enamored with the history of space development and its artifacts and is actively pursuing her passion. I hope her advocacy and public statements don’t prevent future development and space artifact creation. Her enthusiasm doesn’t give her any special claim to prevent others from pursuing theirs passions, through influencing bad policy or law, when they don’t infringe upon her rights.

      I think your assumption that myself and others that mocked “expert space archaeologist” don’t understand what space archaeology is is invalid. Most of the commenters here are fairly well educated, many of us work in the space industry in some form, and even if they hadn’t been following Alice’s work could parse space + archaeology and figure it out. Most of us are old enough to have watched an Indiana Jones movie or two 😉 People can be respected for all manner of things which others may disagree with, respect by some a legitimate reason for everyone else to get on the bandwagon and display the same obsequiousness. In fact it sometimes rightly engenders additional ridicule (ex. POTUS, Piers Morgan, John Boehner). Even recognized experts can be incorrect, as I’m sure you are aware.

      And yes, disagreement and ridicule does not by itself invalidate or make irrelevant other ideas or propositions. While mockery can encourage views to be discarded, it isn’t by itself a full reasoned refutation of those views, and those firmly committed to their views will weather any mockery that comes their way without changing their minds. I’m sure you are aware though that it can help prevent the intellectually lazy/overburdened from adopting those same views though. Not every idea demands a full and thorough consideration to be refuted at the “good enough” level, and ridicule that hints at the truth can serve that purpose.

      The existence of an idea and its broad communication do not in and of itself make it a valid basis for law or policy, especially those that infringe upon the rights of others. So while the molehill may be real, it doesn’t necessarily require a mountain of consideration. Mocking, ridiculing and having fun with ideas we consider invalid is the shorthand version of that consideration, and although it cannot “make them any less so [real]” it does offer a perspective that those “real” issues are inconsequential or invalid. So while I may think that papers about the use of cable ties in space, or how pencils are made, or potshards or what these or any other mundane item can tell us about modern or historical cultures can be fascinating, and I greatly value the researchers that produced and shared that enjoyable research with me (likewise the creators of blogs I enjoy), I value them for that specifically and do not put all their ideas above my own. I am quite happy to disagree with them, and poke at their ideas when I do disagree. Which is what we all do here – I’m pretty sure we all think space is important, its the details that drive the discussions.

      For me (the impetus for my mockery), anything that even smells like it will get in the way of opening up space… delenda est! (alas poor Carthago)

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