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Posts:
2,065
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4/17/03
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(1 of 6)
Privatization of Space Exploration is crucial to the world's future.
Apr 17, 2005 12:30 PM
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In the Third World, a growing population will need to support itself without ruining its environment. The resources needed are in space. In the First World, prosperity requires cheap access to large amounts of raw material. Such raw material is in space. And since the State is notoriously inefficient, the world will need corporations to bring such resources to Earth. Which is why the privatization of space is crucial to the world's future.
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35
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3/14/05
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(2 of 6)
Re: Privatization of Space Exploration is crucial to the world's future.
Apr 22, 2005 11:33 AM
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I agree that privatization of space exploration is despirately needed. Because of overpopulation, lack of natural resources, etc. we really need to step up our exploration of space. Of course, I think that there is ample evidence that the federal government does not see space exploration as important now that it can't serve anymore military purposes. The only problem is that the program is incredibly expensive. I don't know if a single company could fund it.
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9,858
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11/18/04
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(3 of 6)
Re: Privatization of Space Exploration is crucial to the world's future.
Apr 23, 2005 8:35 PM
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NASA has become a cumbersome bureaucracy, their mission is to get funding. That's what bureaucracy's do.
They justify their budget because of technological break through's that are a result of the space program.
That is true.
But that doesn't mean that private industry couldn't do it better, safer and with out tax payer's money. The military can use their own missiles.
Private development of industrial robot's has changed manufacturing over the last twenty years. With the liability of having employee's in such a unsafe work environment, I would think that there would be little need for "manned mission's", except in extreme cases.
And, if outsourcing is so dam good for the private sector, it should be good for government agency's!
Message was edited by jasser at Apr 23, 2005 8:35 PM
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4
Registered:
4/26/05
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(4 of 6)
Re: Privatization of Space Exploration is crucial to the world's future.
Apr 28, 2005 7:42 PM
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The X-Plane competitiion has proven in my opinion that it's a conceivable idea, and necessity is the mother of invention. The government no longer has a use for space exloration, but the private sector does; Communication. I can imagine a scenario where a major corporation such as Microsoft or a major cellular company contracts private devolopers to make advanced communication satellites that help consumers at a more efficient and cost effective rate. I also think that technology on Earth will go hand in hand with space exploration, such a devolopment of easy to use, low cost satellite phones that replace our current cell phones. Just as companies have always competed for the publics attention, they will fund major research for astronomers and explorers, possibly an internet broadcast Mars landing. I can see it now, Starbucks astronauts Podcasting from Mars. I don't know if thats necessarily a good thing, but it is interesting.
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5
Registered:
1/12/04
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(5 of 6)
Re: Privatization of Space Exploration is crucial to the world's future.
Dec 16, 2005 1:34 PM
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The question, "Should space exploration be privatized?" is too vague. What is meant by privatization?
If it simply means allowing private companies to explore space (without getting subsidies from the state), well, sure, why not? I can't think of any conceivable reason --other than possible liability to we terrestrial creatures in case of mishap -- to restrict private parties from going into "space."
On the other hand, if it means selling at bargain basement prices -- or giving away -- NASA's assets, which were paid for by the citizens of this country, to private companies to profit from, I have strong objections. Nor should there be any collusion between the state and private companies in this.
The irony is that this is precisely what NASA has been all along, like most "military/industrial" projects.
Private companies are contracted and receive enormous state support for building and running a show that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with individual goals or initiatives. As libertarians (both right and left) -- and many socialists as well -- have said, NASA is a type of fascism, like so much of our government. It takes our money and spends it on things it wants, not what we as individuals necessarily want or need.
But this is the eternal problem with government -- that it always does this, and NASA is just another example out of hundreds. I have no particular animus against it, and even see some of its projects as rather facinating at times, such as that solar-powered airplane that they flew recently (don't recall the name they gave it). And like so much of the military/industrial complex, it does have some pretty intelligent, nice folks working for it, which is pretty obvious to anyone with half a head or heart.
But unless you have an almost religous, one-pointed, unifying goal amongst everyone (and which isn't coerced in any way), then practically every state-run enterprise is going to conflict with a significant portion of the population's rights and desires, even if it never comes to any kind of "head" (such as mass protests and marches). Even if that "significant portion" is a small minority, it still violates the basic principle of "minority rights," no matter who the minority(ies) happen(s) to be.
I don't say these negative things about government/industry collusions to be picky or mean-spirited, or small minded, only to be thorough. At some point, no matter how much we may love our country and its people, we need to be honest about the fact that it's basic structure isn't perfect.
For me, the only "true and good" space exploration would be levitation, and be funded solely by the individual's union with GOD. Then all space exploration would truly be completely "private."
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Posts:
1
From:
Pottsboro,Tx
Registered:
10/27/09
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(6 of 6)
Re: Privatization of Space Exploration is crucial to the world's future.
Oct 27, 2009 8:41 PM
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The truth is we are not ready for space exploration.
Just like sea exploration is for the very rich.
A thousand year from now travel in space may be like a car drive today, but how much resources are you really going to get?The space travelers today are more about building civilizations on other planets,Resources become less important when you mastered space.
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