What was it that the early European explorers came to the Americas for? Was it for the unknown? To seek out new life and new civilization? To boldly go where no man had gone before?

Nope.

They came for resources. For gold, for furs, for land. They wanted to get rich and make their countries rich. And that’s what’s really going to drive the move to space as well.

This article, from Observer, notes a NASA announcement of the discovery that the Asteroid 16 Psyche, might be composed totally of nickle and iron. Given the asteroid is the size of West Virginia, they calculate the value of the metals at $10,000 Quadrillion or 10,000 times the size of the global economy.