...that you're recovering function after that stroke. You've never mentioned it before that I remember (sorry if I missed that.)
I'll reiterate - the only safe asteroids are tamed ones. Mining them for in-space resources makes sense... doesn't it? The main uncertainty is not knowing if major in-space assets will be developed, but mass shielding and bulk reaction mass become relatively low-cost if water is extracted in-bulk from the NEOs. And development plans for both the Moon and Mars often call for skyhooks, space-elevators and similar structures. For example, a skyhook dropping down to Mars from Phobos reduces the re-entry/launch speed to just 550 m/s, which would have a major impact on the economics of developing Mars. Jerome Pearson's Lunavator designs are also a reasonable and low-cost way of opening up large-scale access to the Moon.
Space/Science » in reply to EP was a historian and journalist
Good news...