Congratulations to SpaceX on its first successful test flight of its Falcon 9 rocket. Considering the fairly atrocious track record of new rockets, private or public, it is certainly quite an accomplishment. The company has a long way to go before any sort of regularly scheduled and/or mission-oriented flights will occur, but the success may serve to bolster support for the idea of privatized space flight.
It makes me wonder if the days of space travel for scientific research (and cold war supremacy) are finally giving way to the days of space travel for commercial purposes. Interplanetary mining for rare earth elements could perhaps circumvent (at least in some ways) the problems arising from the fact that these elements are needed for many renewable energy and high efficiency technologies. We could continue to preserve the more pristine parts of the planet, while still being able to engage in the most rapacious of mining practices, with no regard to environmental degradation or human health. Plus, shipping down the gravity well to earth, especially if cargoes could be dropped at or near their eventual destinations, might even be cheaper than shipping on-planet. It's a win-win-win.
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