Preparing for the Next Visitor
As 3I/ATLAS continues its historic journey toward perihelion later this month, it serves as both inspiration and warning. The universe regularly sends valuable resources past our planet, but we lack the infrastructure to capture them. Every metallic asteroid that passes represents a missed opportunity to secure our technological independence.
The convergence of China’s export restrictions and the arrival of 3I/ATLAS creates a defining moment for American innovation. The same spirit that put humans on the Moon, created the internet, and revolutionized computing must now be directed toward making asteroid mining reality.
The choice is clear: continue depending on potentially hostile nations for critical materials, or invest in the technology to harvest unlimited resources from space. China has shown it will use rare earth access as a weapon. The only rational response is to make that weapon obsolete.
Necessity, as the saying goes, is the mother of innovation. China’s aggressive market manipulation has created that necessity. Now American ingenuity must provide the innovation that ensures we never again face supply chain extortion from any nation.
The asteroids are out there. The technology is emerging. The economic and strategic imperative is undeniable. The only thing missing is the collective will to make it happen.
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