Commercialization of Space

[Mr. Anderson]

This was on Cnn.com recently

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/0...ure/index.html

I think its about time this started happening, with the amount of money spent in the entertainment and marketing arenas, this could open a whole new world - literally.

But I find it quite interesting that the the US Government had to allow it. I wonder what regs other countries have for controlling travel in space? Is there an international governing body or is it just left up to the country launching the satellites and landers to be responsible?

I'm also glad to see that the Apollo sites are off limits - they should be made into Lunar Parks of some sort - although its not reasonable to assume that people will be visiting there anytime soon. But robotic landers on salvage missions might pose a more immediate problem. Who wouldn't want to have a lunar rover from one of the later Apollo missions, its just sitting up there....

D

[arn]

Interesting

TransOrbital is the only private group to have secured U.S. authorization to visit the moon

I find it interesting that they have to get US Authorization....

arn

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by arn
Interesting

TransOrbital is the only private group to have secured U.S. authorization to visit the moon

I find it interesting that they have to get US Authorization....

arn

yes very weird. But it might be in conjunction with going to the moon and possibly getting near the Apollo sites.

I'm reminded of the Looney Tunes Cartoons with Marvin the Martian - claming Planet X in the name of Mars (Duck Dodgers (Daffy) comes along for the earth). But the point of the matter might be, if you can get there, what's to keep you from using what you find? Now if its an issue of where you launch from or where you're incorporated, which might be the case here, things could get a little tricky.

If Japan ever gets their space program out of the hole their in now, they'll be a huge presence in space. And China is just around the corner as the 3rd nation to put a human into space.

D

[voicegy]

Great, now for 2500 bucks I can litter the moon with my business card. What a waste of technology.

[big]

just make sure you bring a towel...it is the most useful item to any space traveller

[Mr. Anderson]

I'm waiting for the babel fish....

And I bet if you wanted to spend more money you could leave even bigger things for the moonmen to find....

[Durandal7]

I am all for it. The government space agencies lack ambition now. The only way we will ever spread into space is by the private sector.

[strider42]

Originally posted by arn

I find it interesting that they have to get US Authorization....

US companies have to get authorization from the the government, that doesn't surprise, and relaly is a good thing in a lot of ways (why should we allow just anyone to send up millions of tons of equipment over our heads w/o having some kind of regularion there). non-US companies of course need no such authorization frmo the US, but might from their own companies.

[Mr. Anderson]

but this isn't just about space, its about the moon.

Why I really liked was the fact that the Apollo landing sites are off limits, which they should be. That's a part of history and should remain as off limits. Enforcing that will be tough - but for now it shouldn't be a issue, since its not exactly a destination location.....

D

[robodweeb]

But I find it quite interesting that the the US Government had to allow it.

It's not really that surprising. Although the US has not yet signed the UN Moon Treaty of 1979, it did sign the UN Outer Space Treaty of 1967 <http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/treat/ost/ost.html> which makes the U.S. government "responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental activities".

robo

[Mr. Anderson]

Thanks for the link - interesting stuff

'astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of mankind'

a nod to the aliens? I wonder if astronauts get any special training in First Contact?

D

[robodweeb]

I wonder if astronauts get any special training in First Contact?

Although I know astronauts have thought about it, privately, the only specialized "training" they receive for such an event is to pass it up the chain of command (for still-risky, time-critical, space travel, a hierarchical decision-making process is optimal ... for humans, anyway) and wait for instructions. The astronauts I know are quite aware of the ramifications of first contact.

Unofficially, I think a lot of their atttudes about it are shaped by popular media (StarTrek, Babylon 5, Niven's First Contact series, etc.). After all, "first contact" has been a part of human culture for nearly a century. Should circumstances arise that require an astronaut's own judgement, I think this "training" will appropriately influence them.

robo