A recent announcement concerning plans to mine asteroids has sent the media into a frenzy, but is it possible? Consider the challenges: asteroids have no gravity, meaning miners and equipment will have to anchor themselves to the ground. Add to this the minerals that will fly off into space once excavated and the staggering temperatures the spacecraft will endure (+300 to -200 Fahrenheit) and interstellar mining becomes that much further away.

America’s best hope for critical and strategic minerals lies not on a distant rock, but in the deposits in its own backyard. Check out American Resources Principal Dan McGroarty’s take on the situation on Real Clear World.