What distinguishes libertarians from other political obsessives is that our goals are rather more long-range than merely the next round of Senate elections or the fiscal policies some mediocre politician.
The presentation of the X-prize today to Burt Rutan is the portender of greater things to follow than the inauguration of either a President Bush or a President Kerry. The launch of an annual contest (the X Prize Cup) is a sign that the rate of private space technology growth could be about to grow exponentially.
Those who might reasonably argue that without the right policies in Washington, commercial space flight would never happen are missing the broader picture.
It is no longer a question of if, but when and where the launch sites will be. The USA could almost close down tomorrow, the technology is out there and people will get out of this planetary orbit. One could almost say that the US has achieved its historic purpose. Once spread out among the stars, it will take centuries to bring all the colonies to a statist heel, if ever.
Delos D. Harriman would be thrilled. If he existed.
These days, I feel like I’m reading a Heinlein story from the inside out, and in the style of a montage of third-party newspaper accounts, instead of a first-person novel.
Once spread out among the stars, it will take centuries to bring all the colonies to a statist heel, if ever.
Kinda brings a tear to the eye, doesn’t it?
Don’t uncork the champagne yet. No one’s gotten away thus far (that we know of!)
Of course, if one day Burt Rutan and others like him take off, and unexpectedly fail to return, that would be a very bad sign…
It’ll take the introduction of better propulsion technologies than we currently have, and better ground to orbit craft. This will happen. I think Bert Rutan has helped to point the way, but I suspect that high power atmospheric ion drives in craft powered either by nuclear means, or remotely, via microwave, will give us the practical access to orbit that we need. These options are actively under consideration by some of the more far-sighted people.
Don’t write off nuclear power, by the way. There are reactions and types of reactor, currently in the very earliest stages of research, which *aren’t* self-sustaining and are therefore inherently much safer than current production designs. If you Google for ‘Carlo Rubbia’ and Thorium, this should give you one or two interesting hits.
And, space is the place for Libertarians (speaking as one myself). It’s the only direction left for us to go…
Why would you assume that extra-terrestrial colonies will necessarily be non-statist in nature? It’s one thing to build a relatively cheap orbital spacecraft (although that is not intended to detract from Rutan’s achievement), it’s quite another to build a functioning and sustainable colony on the Moon or elsewhere.
In fact, given that colonies will (at least in this solar system and at least for the forseeable future) require elaborate artificial environments which are not realistically acheivable or maintainable on an individual basis, I’d have thought that the presence of a strong central authority would be inevitable and necessary.
Furthermore, just because the ships taking you to the colonies may be privately owned doesn’t mean the colonies themselves necessarily will be. They could be, of course, but I think it’s very far from inevitable.
EG
Also, California’s passing of Proposition 71, which will provide $300 million annually for 10 yrs. for stem cell research, is another blow against centralized control of scientific research. It remains to be seen if other states follow suit in the future. I suspect there are scientists all over the U.S. writing up proposals.
“Kinda brings a tear to the eye, doesn’t it?”
Or, in my case inner warmth like Ready Brek!
It’s a question of cost. 40 years ago private individuals couldn’t achieve what govt agencies could. Now they can. It’s a question of time. If the US govt didn’t confiscate so much private capital we’d reach politician-free space colonies a lot sooner.
EG,
That may be the case at the moment, but Science and Technology are moving onwards in an exponential manner (as long as the lawyers don’t kill off industries that is) and I have to agree with what Paul T. is saying too.
Of course, if nanotechnology starts to take off, then all bets are off.
John:
“Also, California’s passing of Proposition 71, which will provide $300 million annually for 10 yrs. for stem cell research, is another blow against centralized control of scientific research”
You mean the bureaucrats in charge will be Californian State bureacrats rather than Federal bureaucrats?
If you want to avoid centralised control of scientific research, don’t fund science out of tax money, full stop (or “period” as you would say).