[narf poit chez BOOM]

Why go into space? I think this explains it:

Subject: Re: Manty Money
Author: Graydon Saunders
Date: 01 Apr 2005 06:48 PM
On Thu, Mar 31, 2005 at 11:56:13PM -0500, honorverse Listmanager
scripsit:

[below]

> From: "Jonathan Briggs"
[snip]
> "Precious" metals are pretty to look at and hard to find or make for
> yourself. Metal is also good because the government can't just make
> more of it on demand. But, if paper money has those same qualities then
> it is equivalent.

Keep in mind that the tech level in the Honorverse is such that they
bulk-process asteroids.

Which, going by asteroids in this solar system, means they use platinum
for cheap cafeteria spoons and gold for costume jewelry.

1 cubic km of asteroidal nickel iron is a sphere 620 m in radius; it has
a mass of something like 24 billion tons, and if it's 0.02 % gold,
you're left with a mere 4.8 *million tons*.