I get what you're saying but in this case I have to ask, can we really not get those benefits without risking lives? Would it become impossible? Or would it just take longer?

Can robots do it?

I hate arguing this position because I want to go to space physically in person in my lifetime. But it doesn't make sense to send humans if robots can do the job because space is inimicable to life and life support is very hard and expensive and heavy.

Risk lives to stave off an asteroid but not to mine it.

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I don't want to get into a side-thing about driving, but I don't drive in part because I see it as a Faustian bargain: we get transportation that's so convenient at the cost of forcing people to participate in a death-and-mayhem lottery. Traffic is a meat-grinder.