Comments by "Jim Luebke" (@jimluebke3869) on "Astronaut Garrett Reisman: Space is Our Destiny" video.

Three pieces of technology are within our reach well before 2050. 1) Inexpensive launch. 2) Self-constructing 3D printers. 3) Asteroid mining. None of these three technologies are really that far future. Musk is working on #1. People are familiar with 3D printers, and increasing the quality of their output can lead to 3D printers that can reproduce themselves (and then be reprogrammed to build whatever else is needed.) Asteroid mining is just mining which we've been doing for a very long time, plus zero-g (or artificial g), plus no pressure (or artificial pressure), plus automation (which terrestrial mining is really getting into right now.) As those three technological fields mature, human beings will have the ability to move beyond this single planet and create places to live in other parts of the solar system. Once the asteroid mining and self-reproducible 3D printers take off, space solar power can be added into the mix, which gives on-orbit populations something of value to trade back down the gravity well. This will accelerate the whole process beyond a few relatively rich and motivated people, to a broader group of working-class humanity. It's just a matter of vision and motivation.
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Three pieces of technology are within our reach well before 2050. 1) Inexpensive launch. 2) Self-constructing 3D printers. 3) Asteroid mining. None of these three technologies are really that far future. Musk is working on #1. People are familiar with 3D printers, and increasing the quality of their output can lead to 3D printers that can reproduce themselves (and then be reprogrammed to build whatever else is needed.) Asteroid mining is just mining which we've been doing for a very long time, plus zero-g (or artificial g), plus no pressure (or artificial pressure), plus automation (which terrestrial mining is really getting into right now.) As those three technological fields mature, human beings will have the ability to move beyond this single planet and create places to live in other parts of the solar system. Once the asteroid mining and self-reproducible 3D printers take off, space solar power can be added into the mix, which gives on-orbit populations something of value to trade back down the gravity well. This will accelerate the whole process beyond a few relatively rich and motivated people, to a broader group of working-class humanity. It's just a matter of vision and motivation.
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Three pieces of technology are within our reach well before 2050. 1) Inexpensive launch. 2) Self-constructing 3D printers. 3) Asteroid mining. None of these three technologies are really that far future. Musk is working on #1. People are familiar with 3D printers, and increasing the quality of their output can lead to 3D printers that can reproduce themselves (and then be reprogrammed to build whatever else is needed.) Asteroid mining is just mining which we've been doing for a very long time, plus zero-g (or artificial g), plus no pressure (or artificial pressure), plus automation (which terrestrial mining is really getting into right now.) As those three technological fields mature, human beings will have the ability to move beyond this single planet and create places to live in other parts of the solar system. Once the asteroid mining and self-reproducible 3D printers take off, space solar power can be added into the mix, which gives on-orbit populations something of value to trade back down the gravity well. This will accelerate the whole process beyond a few relatively rich and motivated people, to a broader group of working-class humanity. It's just a matter of vision and motivation.
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