General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: One small step for the 1%, nothing for mankind. n/t [View all]krispos42
(49,445 posts)If millionaires competing to give piles of money to whoever can give them the coolest space ride pushes the technology for faster and cheaper space travel, then let them go for it. The same "fast and cheap" technology that we're seeing now for suborbital hops will eventually (and fairly quickly) grow into orbital hops, competing with SpaceX.
The faster and cheaper we can get stuff into orbit, the more we can DO in orbit. Like build a nuclear-powered ship to make intra-system travel fast and cheap.
Jeez! What was the economic case for Spain financing Columbus try to get to India? "It makes no sense to waste the capital investment in three fully-equipped ocean-going ships and crews on trip of many months, taking a very unknown and uncertain path to India, with no logistical, communications, or emergency support available, to get silks and spices. The failure chance is very high and the rewards are at best very modest. Let us instead use the ships to support local inter-port Spanish commerce instead".
And unlike Columbus' travels, there are no indigenous cultures to enslave or destroy.
Either we're going to survive long enough to be able to use extraterrestrial resources like asteroids, or we're going to choke on our own pollution while fighting wars over territory. It may already be to late, but we have to try.