High!

TC wrote:

> Now I suppose we will remain earthbound forever.

It's clear that colonizing the Solar System won't ease overpopulation on 
Earth - even a terraformed Mars could hardly accommodate more than a few 
hundred million people, let alone the other terrestrial worlds which are 
  even more hostile to life (and, thus, more difficult to terraform) 
than Mars.

> It is not worth it (in 
> monetary terms). We know what our planets look like. They are not very 
> interesting.

Oh, then you're probably not so familiar with the latest discoveries on 
the Saturnian and Jovian moons!

> Terraforming? Takes too long, if possible at all.

Back in 1991, I read in a German newspaper of a terraforming scenario 
for Mars which would take a mere 180 years to complete...

> Mining? Not economical.

I think asteroidal mining could probably be the first commercially 
successful application of interplanetary space flight - many rare earth 
metals are about to run out in the next few years, and sophisticated 
recycling ("urban mining") would possibly not be enough to meet our 
(think of China's and India's growing economies!) demands...

See you in Khyberspace!

Yadgar

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