by A couple of CNN articles prompt this comment. A Britsh astronomer predicted human settlements on Mars this century, saying private investors would likely create ‘wild west’ scenario if allowed to control settlement.
In another article, the US company TransOrbital Inc. has been “granted permission” by the US government to explore the moon. Read the article.
Exploration of space is long overdue. Scientists have been systematically starved of funds in recent decades. NASA’s budget is a national disgrace. So it’s welcome news to see that entreprenuers are looking to the sky with visions of dollar signs in their heads. What’s not so welcome is that there seems to be an assumption that space belongs to governments to control access and dictate administrative policies. The last thing mankind needs is to carry our current system into the final frontier.
