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James Cameron Hoping to Mine Asteroids

Filmmaker James Cameron attends the Covenant House California 2011 Gala and Awards Dinner at the Skirball Center on June 9, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Filmmaker James Cameron attends the Covenant House California 2011 Gala and Awards Dinner at the Skirball Center on June 9, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

James Cameron just got back from his trip to the very bottom of the ocean, and now he’s putting his money into space. The Avatar filmmaker is teaming with a group of investors (including Google CEO Larry Page) to finance a new initiative that will send robo-ships into space to mine nearby asteroids for precious metals like platinum and gold. The investors also hope to build a space-set refueling station for their missions within the next several years. And what happens when the blue people living on the asteroids say “no”? (Then you’ve got your inciting incident!)

James Cameron Hoping to Mine Asteroids