Meme-Dozer OP t1_j28jmxu wrote on December 30, 2022 at 12:32 PM

Reply to comment by RockyMtnBullTesties in ELI5 Are money slowing us down from being a multiplanetary species? by Meme-Dozer

We already created space probes that destroyed asteroids and even collected samples , the resources we gathered from the asteroids could be used to build more drones and probes , the first and second ones would probably be nearby earth asteroids and the cycle keeps on going.

RockyMtnBullTesties t1_j28ourg wrote on December 30, 2022 at 1:24 PM

Collecting samples is VERY different from mining for resources. The tech may be related but it’s like digging a hole with a garden spade vs a mechanical backhoe. A lot of money/development needs to go into that and our governments choose to use that money elsewhere instead. That’s not to say it won’t ever happen. We’re closer than ever. But I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon.