My guess is the problem is the risk of getting nuclear material into space. If we could find or mine nuclear materials without risking a failed launch from earth, we could probably do that.
“My guess is the problem is the risk of getting nuclear material into space.”
That’s right! It is a risk the US cannot afford to take.
First of all, it would contravene numerous international treaties and agreements.
Second, the media outrage at such a risk would drive all the important issues off the air - like which sports star committed which crime. Who in his right mind would wish to sit through this sort of endless coverage?
Third, politicians of all stripes would be up in arms at the very possibility of polluting pristine space with radioactive debris. Can you imagine the horror our grand kids would have to face, if space were polluted with dangerous, carcinogenic, radioactive stuff?
Fourth, it would contravene the newly discovered American Law of Navel Gazing which says (in part), that anything not seen in a navel does not exist, cannot exist, and is downright impossible, and furthermore, dangerous.
All this space travel bunkum is best left to barbarians like the Russians and Chinese who have no moral authority, are firmly convinced that the Law of Navel Gazing is for idiots, unlike us Americans who have a firm grip on reality, the future, and What’s Worth Spending Our Hard Earned Dollars On.