Spring Break
A frontier for change
Scott Conover
Issue date: 1/7/09 Section: Forum
Oftentimes, when people hold discussions about space exploration in a serious way, they are accompanied either by the human puzzlement that comes from contact with the unknown or with the curious sense of fear and skepticism that comes from abhorrence of the new.
On the flip side of the argument is the potential for continued technological development and resource extraction. Although the idea of a vast vacuum dotted with shapes does evoke both sets of emotions, there is more to space exploration than just technology or even resource allocation. Space exploration also holds societal potential as regarding the curious notion of freedom - the idea of acting as one would please so long as it does not directly or indirectly, via evidence or proof, harm others. This concept of freedom will accompany expanded space exploration, even as it will change the world.
The vacuum all around Earth is very sparsely populated with sizable objects capable of sustaining people. Most of space is just that: a vacuum, with little in it, and very little between the vastness that is space. However, it happens that many of those objects contain useful resources for humankind: metals, water, fuel and, best of all, living space. Although the development of living spaces for humanity to settle the outside universe is in its infancy, it is the future for a world with limited resources, a growing population and a hungry consumer base.
The fact is that in space, as long as you can grow the food, collect and/or separate the water and air from comets and biological processes, you have a vast area in which to live. Asteroids are often formed in lumps or piles of pure metal alloys and otherwise, which means that they are incredibly stable and useful for settling. In addition, unless somehow disturbed in a very large and often cosmic way, asteroids do not collide or otherwise move substantially outside their stable orbits, making them a relatively safe place to live.
These asteroids can be more than just simple living quarters. They can be enclosed societies, in, of and by themselves. It is conceivable to imagine a sect of Amish people living in space, subsisting on the most minimal technology in order to live, educating their children and living as they see fit. Other societies might permit and even encourage the use of various recreational drugs, from heroin to cannabis to various hallucinogens. Other societies might settle on religious principles, exploring and living in space: Hindus, Muslims, Catholics, Evangelical Christians and more - they may all benefit from the ability to explore themselves and space in tandem.
On the flip side of the argument is the potential for continued technological development and resource extraction. Although the idea of a vast vacuum dotted with shapes does evoke both sets of emotions, there is more to space exploration than just technology or even resource allocation. Space exploration also holds societal potential as regarding the curious notion of freedom - the idea of acting as one would please so long as it does not directly or indirectly, via evidence or proof, harm others. This concept of freedom will accompany expanded space exploration, even as it will change the world.
The vacuum all around Earth is very sparsely populated with sizable objects capable of sustaining people. Most of space is just that: a vacuum, with little in it, and very little between the vastness that is space. However, it happens that many of those objects contain useful resources for humankind: metals, water, fuel and, best of all, living space. Although the development of living spaces for humanity to settle the outside universe is in its infancy, it is the future for a world with limited resources, a growing population and a hungry consumer base.
The fact is that in space, as long as you can grow the food, collect and/or separate the water and air from comets and biological processes, you have a vast area in which to live. Asteroids are often formed in lumps or piles of pure metal alloys and otherwise, which means that they are incredibly stable and useful for settling. In addition, unless somehow disturbed in a very large and often cosmic way, asteroids do not collide or otherwise move substantially outside their stable orbits, making them a relatively safe place to live.
These asteroids can be more than just simple living quarters. They can be enclosed societies, in, of and by themselves. It is conceivable to imagine a sect of Amish people living in space, subsisting on the most minimal technology in order to live, educating their children and living as they see fit. Other societies might permit and even encourage the use of various recreational drugs, from heroin to cannabis to various hallucinogens. Other societies might settle on religious principles, exploring and living in space: Hindus, Muslims, Catholics, Evangelical Christians and more - they may all benefit from the ability to explore themselves and space in tandem.
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Anonymous
posted 1/14/09 @ 2:47 PM PST
Yeah, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri was a great game.
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