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What do you think?

ArgoneArgone Genuine Klingon
Will commericalizing space make it better? [url="http://www.cosmiverse.com/news/space/1002/space10170201.html"]http://www.cosmiverse.com/news/space/1002/space10170201.html[/url]

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[b]4 Thousand Throats can be cut in one night by a running Warrior[/b]
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Comments

  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    So long as they can't claim territory as their own...

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    [url="http://www.minbari.co.uk/log12.2263/"]Never eat anything bigger than your own head.[/url]
    "Nonono...Is not [i]Great[/i] Machine. Is...[i]Not[/i]-so-Great Machine. It make good snow cone though." - Zathras
  • BekennBekenn Sinclair's Duck
    Commercial organizations are in a far better position to fund space research and exploration; they don't rely on tax dollars granted them by a government, but rather on profits made from selling goods or services. One big reason for us not having a Lunar/Martian colony set up yet is that NASA can only proceed at the pace that our federal government wants it to proceed at, and space just hasn't been a big concern for them. On the other hand, a corporation with a vested interest in space research, funded by private interests, should be much more capable of getting us out there, provided there's profit in it.

    Probably the first step would be asteroid mining (which for some stupid bass-ackwards reason is being discouraged by the UN), which, while difficult to set up, would almost certainly have a positive return on the investment. Meanwhile, the technologies developed to set up safe and effective mining operations on asteroids would almost certainly have other uses throughout the entirety of any space program, thus further advancing the feasibility of space travel and research.

    So, where does NASA come into all of this?

    Simple: NASA already has an infrastructure, scientific experts, and a lot of necessary equipment for what corporations would have in mind. Corporations with a vested interest in space would jump at the opportunity to work through NASA's extant infrastructure. Companies could lease a NASA space shuttle or a spot on the ISS for long-term zero-G testing. Or they could pay NASA scientists as consultants to determine the feasibility of whatever projects they have in mind. Lease the services of NASA's think-tank for coming up with solutions to whatever new problems are introduced.

    All of this would have the added benefit of providing NASA with another source of income with which to continue their work on purely scientific research, while simultaneously building new and better technologies for that research.

    The downsides to this are the same as in any commercial venture; namely, we're going to have to come up with new regulations for space-based corporations, and find a way to hold them accountable despite the fact that anything they do while in space is technically outside the jurisdiction of any governing body. Safety regulations in particular would be of extreme importance.

    In my opinion, however, the up sides far outweigh the down sides of commercializing space research.

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    We are here to place President Grenewetzki under arrest!
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    I agree absolutely. The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.
    I think a global space regulation body would be the only way to regulate them, but I can't see something like that being formed any time soon.

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    [url="http://www.minbari.co.uk/log12.2263/"]Never eat anything bigger than your own head.[/url]
    "Nonono...Is not [i]Great[/i] Machine. Is...[i]Not[/i]-so-Great Machine. It make good snow cone though." - Zathras
  • ArgoneArgone Genuine Klingon
    The only problems I foresee would be big Companies taking over whole sections of some other planets for stripminig or deforestation. [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/frown.gif[/img]

    Since right now I don't think there are any laws to stop them. [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/confused.gif[/img]

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    [b]4 Thousand Throats can be cut in one night by a running Warrior[/b]
  • Deforestation?!?! Now wait a minute!
  • Rogue TraderRogue Trader Somebody stop him...
    only problem is that isnt it true that nasa's scientific breakthrus in medicine and a whole lot of other shit is free to the public to use? we have a hard time haveing patents and copyrights on earth, just wait till space....
  • ArgoneArgone Genuine Klingon
    No doubt, It will be a real mess. [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/frown.gif[/img]

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    [b]4 Thousand Throats can be cut in one night by a running Warrior[/b]
  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    [quote]Originally posted by Konrad:
    [b]Deforestation?!?! Now wait a minute![/b][/quote]

    Yeah! hahaha [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/biggrin.gif[/img]

    Mars doesn't have Coniferous forests yet, but we're working on it...
  • ArgoneArgone Genuine Klingon
    Other planets away from our solar system, it will happen one day.

    ahh for the days of the retirement home! [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/tongue.gif[/img]

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    [b]4 Thousand Throats can be cut in one night by a running Warrior[/b]
  • BekennBekenn Sinclair's Duck
    [quote]Originally posted by Argone:
    [b]ahh for the days of the retirement home! [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/tongue.gif[/img][/b][/quote]

    On Mars!

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    We are here to place President Grenewetzki under arrest!
  • "Get your @$$ to Mars... Get your @$$ to Mars... Get your @$$ to Mars..."

    100 Bonus Points for the first person to get that one... (very easy)
  • WHY_oldWHY_old Elite Ranger
    isn't that movie with Arnie, and he goes to this place that gives you fake momories that you can totally recall, but then it turns out that his real life was the fake one, and he can't recall his life totally...

    I think it was "The Man who couldn't remember"...
  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    [quote]Originally posted by Konrad:
    [b]"Get your @$$ to Mars... Get your @$$ to Mars... Get your @$$ to Mars..."

    100 Bonus Points for the first person to get that one... (very easy)[/b][/quote]

    I assume the rest of your body parts do not have to tag along? [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/biggrin.gif[/img]
  • MessiahMessiah Failed Experiment
    [quote]Originally posted by WHY:
    [b]isn't that movie with Arnie, and he goes to this place that gives you fake momories that you can totally recall, but then it turns out that his real life was the fake one, and he can't recall his life totally...

    I think it was "The Man who couldn't remember"...[/b][/quote]

    Total Recall?

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    Talk is silver, but violence is gold.
  • Commercialisation could be a good idea - it might finally push NASA into actually taking a pro-active stance on the development of viable space projects for longer-term development.

    That's if it's a wide-open period of commercialisation... if you're having to sign through an agency like NASA then I guess we'd all be back to the drawing board for a few more years of patiently waiting.
  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    I think Mars should be set aside as an International Forest Reserve or Park...

    We can get the trees going later, but we need the land now...

    [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/wink.gif[/img]
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    "I'm sorry. You can't mine here"

    "Why not? It's a bloody acid pool!"

    "This planet has been declared a national park."

    "Of what nation?"

    "Mars."

    "Mars? But it's a bloody planet!

    "Actually, it's called the red planet because of the oxidized iron--"

    "Shut up!"

    "Alright."

    "I guess I'll go back to my ship. Nothing left to do here."

    "I'm sorry. You cannot do that."

    "Why not?"

    "Your vehicle was on the planet when it was declared a park. Removing it will result in large fines."

    "Screw this."

    *punches representative*

    ***THE END***

    Man, I'm too bored. :P
  • Comercializing space... can you say "Weyland-Yutani"? Sorry I'm being paranoid :P

    Seriously though, I think the whole problem with space it's still too soon technology-wise to make any real investments. Pretty tough to make plans to go down (or up in this case) to the corner store when you're barely able to get your foot out the door.

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    There are 3 things in life I never forget: my friends, my enemies, and my access codes.
    Never put gasoline in a fire extinguisher.
    "No government, no dictator can hold an imprisioned population by force of arms forever. There is no power in the universe greater than the need for freedom. Against this power, governments and tyrants and armies [i]cannot stand[/i]." - G'Kar, [i]The Long Twighlight Struggle[/i]
  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    [quote]Originally posted by Talon Mistsong:
    [b]Comercializing space... can you say "Weyland-Yutani"? Sorry I'm being paranoid :P[/b][/quote]

    Yes... You are... [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/biggrin.gif[/img]

    [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/wink.gif[/img]
  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    Earth was seeded eons ago as a reserve... But the management f**kedup as usual, and now look what we have...

    [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/wink.gif[/img]
  • BekennBekenn Sinclair's Duck
    [quote]Originally posted by WHY:
    [b]isn't that movie with Arnie, and he goes to this place that gives you fake momories that you can totally recall, but then it turns out that his real life was the fake one, and he can't recall his life totally...

    I think it was "The Man who couldn't remember"...[/b][/quote]

    Woohoo! Another hyped-up Simpsons fan!

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    We are here to place President Grenewetzki under arrest!
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    [quote]Originally posted by Biggles:
    [b]So long as they can't claim territory as their own...

    [/b][/quote]

    Awe come on, a good large scale space-based conflict should really get those technologies flowing!!! [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/wink.gif[/img]
  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    Haven't you heard what one company proposed in the past? They proposed:
    a) Large lit placards in space to advertise them
    b) Large letters on the moon that could be seen from the earth

    Right...lets have them advertise space. I don't mind companies using advertising and comercialism to help promote space...but enough is enough!
  • Oh, I don't know - I thought it was the implicit understanding that, within capitalism, 'enough' was never really going to be enough... [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/rolleyes.gif[/img]
  • BekennBekenn Sinclair's Duck
    This is why I mentioned regulation. Capitalism is a wonderful system, but left unchecked it goes too far.

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    We are here to place President Grenewetzki under arrest!
  • Rogue TraderRogue Trader Somebody stop him...
    [quote]Originally posted by Random Chaos:
    [b]Haven't you heard what one company proposed in the past? They proposed:
    a) Large lit placards in space to advertise them
    b) Large letters on the moon that could be seen from the earth

    Right...lets have them advertise space. I don't mind companies using advertising and comercialism to help promote space...but enough is enough![/b][/quote]

    that sounds like an evil plan from cobra commander!
  • TyvarTyvar Next best thing to a St. Bernard
    Okay, the add exects and idiots come up with these plans (they arent too sharp) then somebody with intelligence tells them (no you CANT do that)

    All in all, as long as its outside of the Earth moon system, and not on a intercepting trajectory, I dont see how corporations can cause that much trouble out there, might be good for them.
  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    OMG! Now we're going to SPAM the nearby planets?

    [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/redface.gif[/img]
  • ArgoneArgone Genuine Klingon
    Just what we all need 10 mile long billboards with their own orbit! [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/rolleyes.gif[/img]

    Great first impression for any first contact situation! [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/eek.gif[/img]

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    [b]4 Thousand Throats can be cut in one night by a running Warrior[/b]
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    I really wouldn't be surprised to see it happen. [img]http://216.15.145.59/mainforums/frown.gif[/img]

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    [url="http://www.minbari.co.uk/log12.2263/"]Never eat anything bigger than your own head.[/url]
    "Nonono...Is not [i]Great[/i] Machine. Is...[i]Not[/i]-so-Great Machine. It make good snow cone though." - Zathras
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