The Huge Entity: Capitalism and the Final Frontier

Capitalism and the Final Frontier

Saturday, January 28, 2006 → by Danieru

Is the future of humanity in the hands of Russian capitalism? From the ever contemplative DunneIV:

RUSSIA is planning to mine a rare fuel on the moon by 2020 with a permanent base and a heavy-cargo transport link, a Russian space official says.

"We are planning to build a permanent base on the moon by 2015 and by 2020 we can begin the industrial-scale delivery ... of the rare isotope Helium-3," Nikolai Sevastyanov, head of the Energia space corporation, was quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency as saying at an academic conference.

The International Space Station (ISS) would play a key role in the project and a regular transport relay to the moon would be established with the help of the planned Clipper spaceship and the Parom, a space capsule intended to tug heavy cargo containers around space, Mr Sevastyanov said.

Helium-3 is a non-radioactive isotope of helium that can be used in nuclear fusion.

Rare on earth but plentiful on the moon, it is seen by some experts as an ideal fuel because it is powerful, non-polluting and generates almost no radioactive by-product. - link

After mulling over DunneIV's perspective on all this, I find my mind in a fair degree of turmoil.

If space is our inevitable frontier and capitalism the vehicle by which we access it how are we to live in a consistent world?

For instance. A huge part of me feels that humanity's existence in the long-term is more important than all other aspects of our short-term survival. This appears obvious at first, but it starts to bring up some deeply un-nerving questions when you examine it further. Our species has the most chance of survival if we spread our boundaries, the Earth is not going to last forever so we have to see space as the only hope for the future of the species - in fact for the future of life in general - for all we know there are no forms of life living outside the atmosphere of this planet. We have a duty to protect that life at all costs.

The depths of space are ours for the taking through the vehicle of capitalism, and yet current capitalism, in its basic form, is as a much a driving force behind world poverty as world prosperity. If you choose humanity's survival, and you choose the path outlined above then logic permits you to casually wave off the cries of pain and suffering in the world at large. A 'survival of the fittest' approach rules here, a perspective I doubt any liberal minded futurist would like to adhere to.

The problem is though, what is the alternative? Of course we can concentrate our efforts on both space and the problems all around us, but the best possible strategy for our future would be to boldly drive onwards to space, at the expense of those peoples on Earth who it could be said will not aid in the present acquirement of that future.

I am all for pushing forward mankind's boundaries. I just don't find an easy route to take. We have a lot of learning to do, a lot of changes to make on planet Earth before we head out into great unknowns, undoubtedly themselves full of new opportunities for inequality, neglect and age old suffering.

Where do you stand? Is it possible to be consistent whilst pinning your hopes on the stars?

Categories: Science, Space, Human, News, Future, Politics, Universe, NASA, Time, Society, Evolution

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posted by Danieru at 3:59 AM

Apesnake said...

This idea has been around for sometime but given the state of the technology research involved it sounds like the Russians might be somewhat overly optimistic.

There are other financial incentives for establishing a lunar colony, though they currently would need investors with great patience and who don't face elections.

January 29, 2006 3:41 AM

Danieru said...

I like over optimism. Space was always portrayed as a glorious undertaking, an image it appears the Chinese have rebuilt in their attempts at space domination. NASA suffers from a melancholy public perspective at the moment, maybe exactly because its glory days have belargely been forgotten.

And besides, big ideas make me horny

January 30, 2006 12:17 AM

playah hatah said...

not sure, but with the way we're going, doesn't seem to me that most people share your view that the long term survival of the human race should be our key concern... maybe it's my age speaking, but i don't think people care enough about generations far away enough to ever undertake a proper colonization of the moon
(in any case, great idea for a blog... i liked especially the haikus :-)

January 31, 2006 5:25 AM

JK said...

Well, I don't know whether space can be dominated. By the Chinese, Russians, Americans or the Europeans. Once one country or constellation of countries finally begin to set out for the stars and with a human component, the will and need to go there will invariably shift the consciousnesses of all involved. It is impossible for it not to effect the human -- putting a thumb up and covering the orb that has spawned everything that is knowable as a citizen of Earth. To do that will provoke the most amazing of insightfulness a human being is capable of.

Perhaps it should be a requirement of all world leaders that they have been to space and have experienced the impermanence of even themselves in and of this "pale blue dot". The greatest sermon as to our frailty can only come from the recognization that our survival comes only when nature allows for such confluences of good luck. If we're able to carry ourselves within sealed metallic cannisters of oxygen and protein onto the stars then great. But it will only be our veneration of that fact which will save us. In essence, we must worship how totally at the mercy of that which we cannot control we are and quit trying.

We must surf upon as opposed to inhibit the flow on which we float. Get that into people's heads and we've got one helluva future.

January 31, 2006 8:34 AM