Expand or Die either way has to be a global effort

I have been thinking a lot about space exploration and settlement recently and have thought of two big problems money and coperation.
One nation by it's self can front the entire cost exploration and colonization by itself, not even a nation as wealthy as the United States.
Also if you have two or more nations colonizing the same planetery body...lets say Mars for example there is bound to be territory and border disputes which would hinder the whole process.

Basically if there is going to be any significant advances in exploration and colonization it needs to be a global effort, the human race needs to get it's act together and form some unity between us...or we are all doomed to extinction for this planet can't support us indefinately.

Any way enough of my ramblings! what does eveyone else think?

I think market concerns should and will ultimately drive the expansion into space just as it did the vast exploration drive during the renaissance. Furthermore, having many nations in competition will hardly ruin anything, as it hardly ruined anything then.

If you had two superpowers on Mars or anywhere else let's say the U.S and China, a dispute over land could get very ugly, especially since the balance of power is swinging around to China.

Oz, I think nuclear arms would still make both powers respect one another and I insist that you substantiate your claim that power is swinging to China; I happen to think a lot of Chinese economic "growth" is a sham.

en.epochtimes.com...

That doesn't matter the fact is that America's time in Sun is coming to an end the power belongs to the stronger nation in the east the one with the largest army on the planet, let's face it the next centruy probably belongs to them unless the european powers get their act together and form a stronger alliance unlike the farcical shamble they the European Uninion!

Originally posted by uberarcanist
I think market concerns should and will ultimately drive the expansion into space just as it did the vast exploration drive during the renaissance. Furthermore, having many nations in competition will hardly ruin anything, as it hardly ruined anything then.

Agreed. If people start to take space seriously, we could see competition driving not only government based space exploration forward, but also private and commercial.

Sir Richard Branson, for example, looks to be one of the first corporate bosses to seriously lay down plans for space based business. His angle may be transport (Virgin Galactic), but there are other sectors of industry that other corporations could get into with gusto if they actually realised the potential profits.

Originally posted by Terran Blue

Sir Richard Branson, for example, looks to be one of the first corporate bosses to seriously lay down plans for space based business. His angle may be transport (Virgin Galactic), but there are other sectors of industry that other corporations could get into with gusto if they actually realised the potential profits.

I think they realise the potential profits but are hamstrung by gumbyment regulation.These pencil-neck mouth breathers are all over you every step of the way,quadrupling development costs(the other 3/4 going to the recruitment and upkeep of more red-tapers)

Branson wants to develop space tourism?.."hmm,we'll need a whole new branch of the pencil-neck army to deal with this".While you're there,inform us of any useful developments so that we can use it as soon as we find them "in breach" of ..rule 4 million part c

Originally posted by aylyan
I think they realise the potential profits but are hamstrung by gumbyment regulation.These pencil-neck mouth breathers are all over you every step of the way,quadrupling development costs(the other 3/4 going to the recruitment and upkeep of more red-tapers)

Branson wants to develop space tourism?.."hmm,we'll need a whole new branch of the pencil-neck army to deal with this".While you're there,inform us of any useful developments so that we can use it as soon as we find them "in breach" of ..rule 4 million part c

Unfortunately, I must agree fully. Beurocracy and the financial encumberment that follows it will not help us get out into space in any numbers.

I fully anticipate a Orbit Tax some day

I think the biggest hurdle to space developement is that there is no easy to way to get enough people up there. I mean to have a thriving space economy, even and infant one we'd want how many people up there? Say the population of a small town. Like the one I'm from say... so... 50,000 people. Or smaller, just 10,000... How long with current technologies would it take for us to put 10,000 people in space?

Lango, I think automation and space elevators will do a lot toward solving that problem.