Asteroid mining could be the next big thing in space – but we’re not ready

On 30 June 1908, Earth had one the most significant encounters with an asteroid in recent history. The space rock which measured about 130 ft wide, exploded in the atmosphere above the Podkamanneya Tunguska River in Siberia, decimating nearly 800 square miles (2, 072 kilometres) of forest area. Luckily, it landed far away from human habitations. Had the asteroid flown by 6.5 hours later, it would have struck Berlin and changed the course of human history. On this day every year, in remembrance of the Tunguska Event, we observe what’s called World Asteroid Day. While today, we could reflect on…

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