Does anyone else here suspect that space will turn into the old west in the next 50 years or so?
I'm actually kind of hoping for it.
There should be a real push on. Not for colonizing Mars, but for exploiting the asteroid belt.
Phobos seems to me like a better place to set up an underground base. Protect you from the radiation. Make study of Mars easier.
Plus, you could put a space elevator on it and just fling the materials mined back towards earth.
We could stop strip mining the planet.
And I'm sure there's loads of stuff up there that could be manufactured into materials for building. ( the advancements in material sciences lately have been on the same exponential curve as everything else.)
Add to this 3d printing. Move most of our manufacturing into space quit polluting the planet.
The good part is it increases the entire gross domestic product of the planet and hopefully alleviate some resource shortages in parts of the world that need it.
Bonus points for putting the drop off and shipping centers in the parts of the world that need the most jobs.
Unfortunately because it will be burgeoning industry, it's going to create some pollution. Countries get polluted when going through technological growing stages. Hopefully it can be kept to a minimum.
But given that Human beings don't seem to be changing any time soon. Exploitation of the poor is going to be one of the consequences, however, given the huge drop in extreme poverty. That's been taking place with each technological leap.
Hopefully the benefits will outweigh the negatives by a long shot.
Which brings up one final thing with this near future. I can see taking place.
And I'm not sure if it's positive or negative, probably both.
As with any expansion of the human race or races into new territories.
They'll be unlawfulness, chances of great riches, loss of life and exploitation of the poor.
Earth will become gentrified. The slums will move out to space until the radiation protection becomes adequate for the rich folk.
I think that's one of the more hopeful near futures we can get. Given the current state of human culture.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.From an engineering point of view sad to say both the methodology and the tech pieces are not there... at the moment building a working fusion reactor is taking 20 years and billions of dollars in Cadarache, France. Imagine the time scale to build working interplanetary space vessels or a space elevator. For a wild-west style scenario to happen we need cheap transports and cheap fuel... the Wild West worked because it was people and horses. The closest thing we have to a space ship is the ISS, and that took a long time and much expense to assemble.
Denker
Level 7
June 9, 2018
0
The big falcon rocket seems more then up to the task.
And fusions been on the same curve as the rest of Technology it all seems to be following Moore's Law
I've recently seen a very intriguing injector system that has a lot of potential. Besides Fusion isn't really necessary for travel to the asteroid belt. There's water out there that would make a fine propellant.
Not to mention the advancements in Material Sciences. Why the technology doesn't exist for materials that would allow for a space elevator on Earth which would be a silly idea anyways.
There's more than adequate materials available to construct one on the moon or Phobos
I truly do believe it's a lot closer than most people think
As to the time scale. we've undertaken Engineering projects on that scale quite often in human history.
I mean just look at the venues we put together for things like the Olympics
Human life is cheap and we have tons to throw at a project like this.
All you need is to have the chance one in a thousand will get rich and people will flock in droves
But keep in mind I'm talking about the start of the fledgling industry in 50 years not a full-fledged America built in a short span of time
As a side note on fusion reaction...
The large laser array already achieved Fusion.... briefly.
(I suspect it might work better if they tried using the newly invented. two-way polarizing laser)
I love this post. Some interesting thoughts here. To me Mars and the Moon seem to me to be the most likely targets for colonisation over the coming decades. 50 years? I don't know. I was born in 1966 and in the early 1970's as a child I have a vivid memory of my father carrying me down to a window at the back of our house and having me look up at the moon and saying to me "Son, right now there are some people up there walking around" But since the 70's we haven't gone back. It just feels that that the break neck speed of the efforts of the 60's to get into space and explore has slowed to a crawl through most of my life. I hope we start to explore again soon. I sometimes feel I was born a little too early uggghhh
UntangledWorld
Level 4
June 6, 2018
1
I think the moon and possibly Phobos, as well as the asteroid belt, is the most likely places were going to start colonizing.
Actually placing a colonization encampment on Mars would kind of defeat the purpose of saving fuel from taking off from that type of gravity, well, the asteroids plus the caverns created by mining would provide radiation protection as well as a smaller gravity well to contend with.
I'm really hoping that the idea of going to Mars as more of a publicity stunt to get To get the public excited about space travel again.
It really would be counter productive to set up a base in that kind of environment, much more practical to put one on Phobos
Wow, you have some scifi creative mind there! ? I’ve never thought of those possibilities or read a criticism of humanity extrapolated in this way. You said “the old west” and I went straight to Firefly. LOL
I don’t imagine 50 years is sufficient time for some of these potential changes. Very interesting post.
vcg1234
Level 7
May 29, 2018
0
Thanks,. I wasn't clear I'm estimating 50 years as roughly the start of the process.
I figure that's probably going to be about how long it takes before the first person buys a used rocket from one of these private companies.
It might be arbitrary, but for some reason in my mind, that seems like a significant point in the process.
Hopefully we can avoid some of the nastier pitfalls that are around the corner. ?
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