Economic Justifications For Developing Space Infrastructure

Let's not forget Rudy's suggestion:

>I believe orbital energy platforms are the justifiable reason. Beaming
clean energy to Earth may be the closest thing >to 'replicators' any of
us will see in our lifetime.
>
>I have proposed using the energy at sea, to synthesize ethanol as a
fuel, rather than to land based stations. I think >the public will see
the land based units as an externsion of the appliance in their kitchen
and fear them. Ethanol is >a safe, stable form of hydrogen that be
stored and transported safely, fits into the existing infrastructure and
can >>used in many applications.
>
>Keep in touch
>
>Rudy Behrens

Two points on ethanol (or other hydrogen storage media):

1) Making a sizable hydrogen economy work seems to lead to fuel cells
and fuel cells need platinum for catalysis.

2) There are TONS of platinum in NEOs, as well as other "accessible"
space resources.

How small a microbot miner can we reasonably expect to create?

Are "micro missions" cheap enough to do without government launchers and
public funding?

Is the financial return from platinum and other rare metals attractive
enough?

How best to send platinum from the mine to Earth?

Colin Keizer