A billion dollars is pocket change for any nuclear power's black budget. They'll get around to it.
Discussion
Well, I meant in terms of resources and energy
You could be right about that. There's certainly not enough publicly released data to come up with a definitive conclusion.
Why do you guys believe in space travel and nuclear tech then?
All of those are lousy options for exporting to Earth surface, 100%.
But because of the (much) lower gravity and escape velocities, they're better options than Earth for exporting materials for use in space, even High Earth Orbit.
But mostly because humans suck and politicians suck more. Always have, but now we have nukes and have mined out the ores high-grade enough to bootstrap industry from zero again.
I agree with Elon that humanity NGMI unless we find a way to get off this rock. Earth is just Easter Island writ large.
Humans are fine. I'm shitposting on a device that's a million times as complex as a nuke (show me evidence proving those exist). Humans haven't even explored mining in all remote places on Earth yet. No projects for mining the ocean floor as well.
The devices we sh-tpost on have their CPUs made in a giant fab costing tens of billions and that needs to move tens of millions of units a week to stay in business.
These require silicon with fourteen-nines purity, and global supply chains.
There are so many ways we can f--k this up its not funny...
This is the peak of human progress. High energy projects like space travel and nuclear failed, so they were replaced with CGI and politics.
I think you might be right, sadly.
Nuclear-thermal rocket engines have epic thrust-to-weight. But were benched in the 70s for political reasons. I'm hoping Elon can find a way to get them legalized again. Makes so much economic and technical sense, even if you have to launch from Madagascar...
I don't think it was political. Likely physical infeasibility. Doesn't make any difference to us, cause we aren't flying into space any time soon. Even high altitude balloon projects stalled.
So instead you get an Internet pager and you can complain about rising prices and politicians. In a world like this, habitual drug users are the rational ones.
Mining the sea bottom is seriously dangerous. Even if a small rock hits the submarine or vessal it can cause huge damage.
Doesn't matter if it's cheaper than on land. But it is not, so they don't do it.
But even if we make it to space, you'll be subject to its laws. Maybe even worse punishment like throw out to space.
Small groups of people are typically less irrational than large; but yes this is a concern.
Analogous to the Polynesians voyaging across the Pacific, finding small islands that their highly-replicable just-complex-enough technology could use. Some Polynesian islands SUCKED politically. People left once they could afford to and colonised new islands...
Islanders live a simpler lifestyle. I know because I'm one. ;) we got mangos, pigs,deer and rainwater, and ocean. However because we're small community of islander we're also defenseless against military superpowers. My home island was occupied by Spanish then Japanese, and now America.
Can't wait to become a space rapist criminal!
Space is just too empty to turn a profit from crime.
Run for public office instead.
By the way, did you get my reply about DoJ paying the University of Carnegie? Or It wasn't delivered? I'm curious what you think about it.
That I don't remember seeing! Link?