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#1 2003-12-17 11:20:15

Bill White
Member
Registered: 2001-09-09
Posts: 2,114

Re: Commercial Viability of Space - Initiating a thread

MMM? Actually, that is exactly what would happen.

Analysts on Earth will track commodity markets and advise whether to ship dueterium, or platinum, or iridium or whatever. In fact, the Mars settlers might be well advised to stockpile various commodities and then ship whatever will command the highest price. Marsian settlers tracking the Chicago Board of Options commodities index? Yeah team!

The biggest technical challenge may be building rocket motors and fairings on Mars, with Marsian materials. Fuel? Zubrin solved that problem already, but rocket motors and fairings, how do we build those on Mars? The Mars surface to Mars orbit leg needs to be accomplished without the need to send transport from Earth for Gennaro's idea to have maximum effect.

To rely on a re-useable Marsian shuttle built on Earth creates a bottleneck that eats into Marsian profit. That may be necessary at first yet for the Marsian exporters to really get going, they will need the ability to fabricate rocket motors to launch cargo. 
 
= = =

Yet, clark, I sense a "money is dirty" aspect to your comment, as if doing Mars would be somehow more "pure" if all funding (necessarily siphoned from humanity's global economy) were washed through the federal government first. And that profit is inherently evil. (EDIT: Well, maybe not you so much but those folks do exist. . .)

But don't worry about DeBeers - - those guys will soon be toast now that artificial diamonds have arrived. And this campaign for "natural" diamonds? It will flop IMHO. What bride will want a "used" diamond when a new one is available.

(EDIT: An insensitive anti-DeBeers meme was deleted)

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