Author Topic: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space  (Read 2817 times)

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Offline Askold

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USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« on: September 24, 2015, 10:19:17 am »
http://www.popsci.com/it-could-soon-be-legal-to-mine-asteroids?src=SOC&dom=fb

The funny thing is that I didn't know that USA owned the space OR had the authority to make laws concerning the outer space all by itself.

The again, if Obama vetoes the law GOP is going to get butthurt and complain about Obama destroying innovative industries.

There is a treaty about outer space so this law could have been given to those countries to decide together. It could have been given to UN to decide so that all the countries on Earth could have together decided what to do about this and how commercial mining in space should be handled. ...But no, USA is going to open up this can of worms.

I am already talking on FB with guys who a) support this because CAPITALISM b) support this because Ahem...  "'MURICA FUCK YEAH! HOW YOU GONNA STOP US BOY!?!"

Yeah, let's have another resource war and this time lets have it in space.
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Offline Igor

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2015, 10:22:03 am »
I think this is how Fallout happens. Over space mining.


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Offline guizonde

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2015, 10:40:45 am »
I think this is how Fallout happens. Over space mining.

nope, it's a ressource war about the last of the oil. and using nuclear reactors in cars. among other things. these guys nail it.
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Offline Igor

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2015, 10:42:56 am »
I think this is how Fallout happens. Over space mining.

nope, it's a ressource war about the last of the oil. and using nuclear reactors in cars. among other things. these guys nail it.
Not how Fallout happened in the games. I mean how Fallout happens. For real. Eh, it was a bad joke anyway.


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Art Vandelay

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2015, 10:51:24 am »
Is this even a practical issue? I'm pretty sure we don't have anything close to usable space mining tech, nor any reason to actually do it if we did. Doing pretty much anything in space is really goddamn expensive.

Offline mellenORL

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2015, 11:11:14 am »
The bill in Congress is moot. The Space Treaty boils down to requiring international approval for any activities of any kind on celestial bodies, whether the moon, an asteroid or a planet. With robotic mining ships using ion propulsion after conventional rocket boost to orbit, it is currently technically feasible to cobble together a functional attempt at space mining. Financially viable is another question entirely, as Art pointed out. If a way to "run ahead" a mining bot ship along the calculated trajectory of a "near miss" comet or asteroid, perhaps the ship could get up enough speed to land on it. If the calculated orbit of the asteroid or comet is such that the mining bot can harvest a payload and then sling-shot back to Earth, all within the "time is money" feasibility window, then yeah, I guess these space mining start-ups must have something up their sleeves.
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Offline nickiknack

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2015, 12:31:43 pm »
How about we just send most of Congress to space, for them to never to return??

Offline ironbite

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2015, 12:37:55 pm »
I'm all for this.  If anything, you can mine asteroids and LEAVE WILDERNESS AREAS ALONE YOU DUMB FUCKS!

Ironbite-just have proper safety regulations and we're golden.

Offline nickiknack

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2015, 12:45:55 pm »
I wonder how many of those asteroids have big space worms or other space critters  living in/on them??
« Last Edit: September 24, 2015, 12:47:54 pm by nickiknack »

Offline Ultimate Paragon

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2015, 12:50:27 pm »
I'm all for this.  If anything, you can mine asteroids and LEAVE WILDERNESS AREAS ALONE YOU DUMB FUCKS!

Ironbite-just have proper safety regulations and we're golden.

I think the mining would be done by robots.  Would safety regulations even be necessary?

Offline Askold

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #10 on: September 24, 2015, 12:58:57 pm »
I'm all for this.  If anything, you can mine asteroids and LEAVE WILDERNESS AREAS ALONE YOU DUMB FUCKS!

Ironbite-just have proper safety regulations and we're golden.

I think the mining would be done by robots.  Would safety regulations even be necessary?

Do you know what the corporations would do if there are no safety regulations? Whatever they think they can get away with. Just like they deal with all the regulations.

I bet they would think of something profitable that pollutes or endangers people if there aren't any regulations. Even in space where there shouldn't be anyone or anything to pollute or endanger.
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Offline Ironchew

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #11 on: September 24, 2015, 02:06:42 pm »
I think the mining would be done by robots.  Would safety regulations even be necessary?

An asteroid is far cheaper to mine in Earth orbit because it takes more fuel to escape Earth's gravity well. Capturing a near-Earth asteroid in Earth orbit would be a highly profitable endeavor and lots of people would start doing it. From there you can use your enormous gravitational potential to launch hypervelocity rocks at Earth or you can pollute the orbit you're in with debris.

I'd want some strong regulations and an accountable space authority to avoid anarcho-capitalist space hell, thank you.
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Offline dpareja

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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2015, 03:31:18 pm »
How about we just send most of Congress to space, for them to never to return??

Maybe this is how Jindal plans to fire Congress.
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Re: USA planning to give corps the right to mine in space
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2015, 08:46:41 pm »
Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress suddenly seems a lot less far fetched.