[extropy-chat] Prison Earth? [was: Space colony behind the moon?]

[Robert Bradbury]

On 10/19/06, Keith Henson <hkhenson at rogers.com> wrote:

> I agree with you about opening up space, but I don't think anyplace in the
> solar system will be safe.  Unfortunately the technology and wealth to go
> out on starships seems to lie on the other side of the singularity when
> (perhaps) most of the danger is past.
>

Some of you may have noticed Bush's recent recasting of the U.S. position on
space to place an emphasis on U.S. dominanation of that frontier [1-4].

The implication is that it potentially allows the U.S. to deny access to
space to anyone it considers to be a "threat to national security".  A team
of nanoengineers leaving the environs of the Earth for other resource rich
regions of the solar system would certainly qualify under that label.

Now fortunately unless "deep" surveillance becomes completely ubiquitous it
probably would not be difficult for a team of nanoengineers to launch a
handful of nanorobots to a passing NEO for resource development purposes.
So while "we" might never be allowed to leave the planet, our agents might
well make the leap.

The interesting thing that the U.S. government has to worry about vis-a-vis
permanent space colonies is a revolt against the motherland.  It has
happened before...

Robert

1. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/19/us_space_policy/print.html
2. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15172149/
3. http://www.space.com/news/061007_bush_spacepolicy.html
4. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1715559/posts
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