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Space exploration has been a substitute for war in the sense that it has provided national competition and the winners of that competition have gained allies and trading partners. Alliances and trade of goods and technology have increased the strength of the winners. We need to encourage that, and promote it into a sustainable manner. Apollo was a flags-and-footprints mission that was treated as irrelevant after the first humans set foot on the Moon. Apollo was cancelled with the first administration change after Apollo 11. The shift was to direct funds into the Vietnam War. I don't think I have to argue that the Vietnam War was a bad investment.
We need to direct national energies and budget funds into building industrial and commercial development of space. That can be sustainable, and continuously opening new resources will provide direct economic benefits for the country that harvests those resources, as well as demonstrating to the world its technological and economic strength. All this would be without the threat of destroying 3rd world countries.
Personally, I am very disappointed this war is proceeding without U.N. sanction. The U.N. has ruled that there is no justification for war on Iraq. I agree with that decision: Iraq has not attacked any country since the last Gulf War of 1990/91. The Iraqi government has certainly been no saint toward its own people, but that is a matter for the Iraqi people to deal with. Killing more Iraqi people because the Iraqi government has not obeyed the dictates of some foreign power (such as the U.S.) cannot be justified. Freedom and democracy can never exist within a country as long as it is imposed from without. After 9/11 al-Qaeda had to be taken out. However, the CIA reported that there was no linkage between al-Qaeda and Iraq; in fact Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein heated each other, and Osama bin Laden offered to join the coalition against Iraq in 1990/91. These current attacks on Iraq will do nothing but drive these two organizations together. We certainly don't need that.
But more importantly, peace requires the rule of law and obedience to the decision of a democratic body. That is the U.N. Going to war in defiance of the U.N. sends a message to the rest of the world that they could be next if they do not obey the whim of whoever is wielding that military power. This generates fear, destroys alliances, and shifts the world to more war and destruction rather than exploration, technological development, and building. War is contrary to the goals of the space advocacy community. War is a downward spiral.
You could argue that president George W. Bush has already requested a down payment of $57 billion for the continuation of the war against Iraq. That is just a down payment; the total bill could be as large as $1 trillion. A manned mission to Mars using Mars Direct was estimated by NASA to cost $20 billion in 1991 dollars, including 7 manned missions. Use of an international launch vehicle could reduce that cost as well as spreading the cost between multiple countries. A manned mission to Mars may be the goal of the Mars Society, and the most spectacular for the media, but orbital tourism and asteroid mining will have much more industrial/commercial impact. None of these will happen if we just destroy.
One example more close to home of the down side of current events: an American researcher developing cures for bubonic plague has been arrested under the "Homeland Security" rules. This has caused many researchers to consider leaving the U.S. to hunt for jobs in places like Canada. This sounds like "Homeland Security" is a recreation of the KGB. Details are available from the CBC.
In light of all events that have occurred in the world, advocating a return to peace and order is not an easy thing to do. It is easy to seek revenge for 9/11 and strike out against everyone rather than just those responsible. However, unfocused aggression will cause more damage to yourself than the original attack. But asking for justice and not revenge can leave those who want to lash-out feeling frustrated. Al-Qaeda's camps and installations in Afghanistan have been destroyed. Rooting out the remnants of al-Qaeda will be a slow and quiet operation by police and intelligence services. But letting them do their work is the only way to guarantee freedom and safety.
Can we of the space advocacy community pull together to advocate maintenance of freedom, peace and cooperation? We have already seen freedom translates to research and technological development. International cooperation leads to major projects that just one country alone cannot afford. Peace avoids the budgetary drain and direct destruction of infrastructure caused by war. We have also seen that war reduces travel and international tourism, placing a major drain on any potential orbital tourism. War also results in leading-edge technology being classified, thus unavailable to researchers attempting to develop equipment for tourism, mining, or other commercial or scientific activities. As an example, what would happen if someone tried to gain details on the design of fast-reactor nuclear thermal rocket? Such an engine could produce a commercial economically viable tourist transport. However, that could be considered nuclear technology and the Homeland Security guys could crack down.
So can we pull together?
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Thank you for posting that Robert, I'd seen your earlier post, and wanted to ask you to post what you'd written anyway but I didn't have the time. Though I've personally not felt like participating in non-Mars related political discussion, I do still feel like reading other peoples ideas, even if it means not being able to respond to something I vigorously disagree with.
Anyway, thanks for that...
BTW. We can. And we will, one day. I fervently believe that.
Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
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The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.
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