Sipping a soft drink outside a San Diego coffee shop, Jim Benson puts a black chunk of iron on the white table in front of him. The rock is a piece of an asteroid, a talisman Benson carries as a reminder of the mineral riches that await in outer space. And this isn't an abstract interest: Benson intends his young company, Space Development Co., or SpaceDev, to be "the first publicly traded company in the business of exploring space."

Select from the choices above to read the entire article.