Text 1: Astronomer Park argues that asteroid mining will become economically viable within decades. Some near-Earth asteroids contain platinum-group metals at concentrations many times higher than terrestrial ores. Falling launch costs and improving robotics, Park contends, will make extraction profitable well before mid- century.
Text 2: Astronomer Singh accepts the asteroids' resource value but argues that the path to profitability is longer than enthusiasts claim. The cost of bringing materials back to Earth — or to space- based markets that do not yet exist — remains many times the cost of terrestrial mining. Asteroid mining may eventually arrive, Singh argues, but "decades" is optimistic without major technical breakthroughs.
The authors most clearly disagree about
- A
whether asteroids exist near Earth.
- B
whether launch costs are falling.
- C
whether some asteroids contain valuable metals.
- Dcheck_circle
the timeline on which asteroid mining will become profitable.
Explanation
Both accept resource content and falling launch costs. They differ on timeline. B captures the dispute.