Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 15, 2016, 07:57:45 PM
The ECA established the colony there and Weyland-Yutani co-financed it against mineral rights. Even if the company still had knowledge of the derelict's presence, it wouldn't factor into their official reasons for being there.
Besides, Hadley's Hope had been there for over 20 years. Do you really think it was part of some sort of long con?
And in case you misunderstood my question:
Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 15, 2016, 07:21:57 PMAs an astronomy buff, can you provide an alternate explanation for why we'd go so far away from our own solar system to mine anything?
Our own solar system has such an abundance of minerals that we shouldn't ever have to venture light-years abroad in order to obtain any that we currently know of.
QuoteProfessor John Lewis has pointed out (in Mining the Sky) that the resources of the solar system (the most accessible of which being those in the NEAs) can permanently support in first-world comfort some quadrillion people. In other words, the resources of the solar system are essentially infinite...
Ah ok, I see now, was busy with work before, so I missed the mining part.
"As an astronomy buff, can you provide an alternate explanation for why we'd go so far away from our own solar system to mine anything?"
Ok, here's a few reasons off the top of my head..because we are always discovering new minerals & elements from the periodic table, such as when studying certain Asteroids found on Earth. Some might end up having game changing properties. Or like I said earlier, perhaps a huge concentration of rare ones on a planet. For example there are planets made of almost 100% diamond. Already planetary scientists can tell certain exoplanet's mineral and atmospheric composition, I can only imagine how easy this will have become in 10-50 years+. I think that's a good enough reason. Either that or Alien technology or Alien biology useful for biotechnology and maybe nanotechnology
Also, his website lists various descriptions on why they are on certains planets for...
http://www.projectprometheus.com/newworlds/ scroll upwards.
KOI-2770.01: IZVINITE OUTPOST
TERRAFORMED
2063 - 2069
ESTABLISHED
2069
NOTES
Massive quantities of Palladium likely due to collision with a mineral rich asteroid millions of years ago
KOI-1404.01: ARCHIMEDES COLONY
TERRAFORMED
2063 - 2069
ESTABLISHED
2069
NOTES
Vast Lithium deposits
KOI-898.03: FEBRUARY OUTPOST
TERRAFORMED
2063 - 2069
ESTABLISHED
2069
NOTES
In 2062, traces of
alien bacteria discovered in the polar region
POL-3191 BB: COREN
TERRAFORMED
N/A
ESTABLISHED
Discovered: 2071
NOTES
Coren appears to possess at least 2 unique micro-organisms - the first time multiple types of alien life have been found
Here's some more answers from your company:
DISCOVERY OF THE OUTER VEIL
Weyland astronomers note an area of space appearing very rich in minerals and other natural resources. Weyland expected to travel there within the century.
DECEMBER 21, 2037
BALLISTIC DEVELOPMENT
Weyland creates new 5.56 millimeter round made of metals mined from the circumstellar habitable zone planets orbiting within Gliese 581 capable of traveling at max velocity in any atmosphere at any range.
JULY 4, 2033
WEYLAND TAKES OVER KEPLER MISSION
Weyland privatizes NASA's famous Kepler mission, increases its funding 10-fold and within the year discovers 6,546 more bio-compatible planets.
NOVEMBER 18, 2026
https://www.weylandindustries.com/timeline