The core technology employed by Gas Scoops dates back centuries, to a time when the extraction of material in space was still a growing industry. Originally, asteroid miners had seen the tractor beams and in-space catalytic conversions used by today's Gas Scoops as a promising new method for extracting spaceborne ore. After many unsuccessful research projects and years of fruitless experiments however, the industry decided to return its focus to laser technology, which was eventually mastered to a level that has sustained the mining profession to this day. When the first interstellar Gas Clouds were discovered, they proved particularly challenging for industrialists to extract raw materials from. Many methods were tried, and although successful acquisition was always guaranteed, there was a need for much greater efficiency. It was not until the mining industry returned to long-abandoned projects that a solution was found. Since that time, Gas harvesting technology has slowly moved forward, giving birth to new industries and economies in the process.