[ExI] NASA: go Go GO back to the moon

BillK pharos at gmail.com
Sat Feb 25 17:31:25 UTC 2017


On 25 February 2017 at 16:11, Dan TheBookMan  wrote:
> Of course, I prefer space exploration to postindustrial dystopia, but it
> looks to me like we're getting a tiny bit of the former with a huge helping
> of the latter, no? Don't let me be too negative here. If you have
> suggestions on how to change the ratio in favor of the former, please share
> them.
>

For a while I have been very doubtful about the viability of humans
moving away from earth. Even going to earth orbit costs a small
fortune.

The history of human exploration shows that initially small groups
went looking for 'treasure'  that they could bring back to their home
country and make themselves rich. If a rich land was found then larger
groups including families would move and settle in the new land.
Sometimes this movement of population led to war if the new land was
already occupied. Sometimes war, population growth or famine was the
driving force behind the movement to new lands.

How does this compare to space exploration?

There seems to be little 'treasure' available compared to the cost of
retrieving it. The Moon and planets are not suitable for human
habitation. Going to Mars or the Moon is effectively volunteering for
a harsh desert prison.
Lengthy space travel outside LEO is deadly dangerous to the human body.

I expect space travel to be for intelligent robots, or vastly changed
posthumans. Perhaps if conditions on earth become too terrible
(dystopia, famine, war, etc.) then humans will be forced to go into
space as their best chance for survival.

BillK



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