Even if we were to establish a permanent largish base, they would be specialists only. It will always be expensive to get there and it’s always a long term stay in an expensive habitat with strict rules that someone has to pay for.
While I like the realism of The Expanse, I just don’t see the existence of a non-terrestrial lower class or even middle class: what could they possibly due to pay for any possible living costs. I do hope we’ll develop permanent bases throughout the solar system but it will be a few specialists and lots of robotics. Nothing else makes sense
I think we’re all being misled by “mining”: it’s difficult to imagine how having to return something from space will ever be competitive with mining the same thing on earth, regardless of unobtanium.
What mining in space is good for is …. Space economy. And the goal is not to mine things that have value on earth but those that have value in space. For the foreseeable future, the goal of mining in space would be to reduce the cost of the space economy by reducing launches of bulky, heavy, or consumables. Think of all the rocket fuel spent on rocket fuel, water, food, oxygen, construction materials and shielding. Thats much higher cost than just carrying the people. Think of how much cheaper a manned space mission can be if you can instead use what is at your destination. Cutting the required number of launches in half is cutting the costs in half
That’s probably true. I do understand that the economics of mining rare earths from asteroids for example just isn’t viable.
That being the case though, I just can’t think of any compelling reason why a person would want to spend any length of time on Mars or any cellestial body for that matter.
Never. I don’t think large-scale habitation of Mars or any other planets will ever happen.
Even if we were to establish a permanent largish base, they would be specialists only. It will always be expensive to get there and it’s always a long term stay in an expensive habitat with strict rules that someone has to pay for.
While I like the realism of The Expanse, I just don’t see the existence of a non-terrestrial lower class or even middle class: what could they possibly due to pay for any possible living costs. I do hope we’ll develop permanent bases throughout the solar system but it will be a few specialists and lots of robotics. Nothing else makes sense
The only sensible answer.
Even if we discovered unobtainium there, robots would do the mining.
I think we’re all being misled by “mining”: it’s difficult to imagine how having to return something from space will ever be competitive with mining the same thing on earth, regardless of unobtanium.
What mining in space is good for is …. Space economy. And the goal is not to mine things that have value on earth but those that have value in space. For the foreseeable future, the goal of mining in space would be to reduce the cost of the space economy by reducing launches of bulky, heavy, or consumables. Think of all the rocket fuel spent on rocket fuel, water, food, oxygen, construction materials and shielding. Thats much higher cost than just carrying the people. Think of how much cheaper a manned space mission can be if you can instead use what is at your destination. Cutting the required number of launches in half is cutting the costs in half
That’s probably true. I do understand that the economics of mining rare earths from asteroids for example just isn’t viable.
That being the case though, I just can’t think of any compelling reason why a person would want to spend any length of time on Mars or any cellestial body for that matter.
I think I would. I know it would be nothing like the sci fi that inspires me but I’d rather have a new and unique experience
You could go stay in a box in your back yard for a few years and forego the myriad of chronic health problems involved with space travel.
I sure as fuck hope not. I am unapologetically opposed to any and all space colonization.