space-based-mining

In this chapter, Judith Niles discusses with Jan de Vries a significant offer from Salter Wherry to quadruple the Institute's budget and grant autonomy in exchange for relocating key staff to Salter Station in orbit to solve problems affecting arcology construction projects. The chapter also includes an excerpt from Salter Wherry's address to the United Nations, where he explains his motivations for establishing Salter Station to exploit asteroid minerals due to Earth's resource shortages and governmental inaction. The dialogue reveals tensions about resource scarcity, institutional decline, and the potential risks and benefits of aligning with a powerful and enigmatic industrialist.