[Lore]

Where will all the financial resources come for all of this interstellar space travel? You know, the cheddar? In what renascence era after we have dissolved our meager surplus of energy will this all happen? Can fairy dust be used as rocket propellant? Lots of questions, which I hear few answers to.

Certainly with what we face, according to recent reports, it's not something that will happen in anyone's lifetime on this planet.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Monday released a report asserting decisively that climate change poses an immediate threat to national security, with increased risks from terrorism, infectious disease, global poverty and food shortages. It also predicted rising demand for military disaster responses as extreme weather creates more global humanitarian crises.

The report lays out a road map to show how the military will adapt to rising sea levels, more violent storms and widespread droughts. The Defense Department will begin by integrating plans for climate change risks across all of its operations, from war games and strategic military planning situations to a rethinking of the movement of supplies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/us/pe ... .html?_r=0

[KaiserJeep]

Space travel is being privatized by companies such as SpaceX (Elon Musk) and Scaled Composites (Burt Rutan), Virgin Galactic (Richard Branson), and other commercial launch companies. See also Bigelow Aerospace, Excaliber Almaz, Reaction Engines Limited, and NanoRacks.

You can today plunk down your money and invest in commercial space travel. There is in fact a new generation of Robber Barons forming, and these new businesses will have earnings that dwarf energy companies, airlines, railroads, steel, coal, or any other prior business.

Go ahead and scoff. Believers will invest, and their investments will prosper. What prevented the exploration of space prior to now was the spare-no-expense form of business practiced by government-run space agencies. That era is ending, and the exploitation of space by that demon Capitalism has begun.

Once the off-world population is again growing exponentially, the fortunes made will far outperform any Earth-based business owned by today's "one percenters".

Now I don't care whether you believe me on this one or not. Some people give money to the stock markets, and others take it away. Believe me or not on this one, and I'l be happy to cash in, a few years from now.

[dinopello]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lore', 'W')here will all the financial resources come for all of this interstellar space travel? You know, the cheddar?

[Dybbuk]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KaiserJeep', 'Y')ou can today plunk down your money and invest in commercial space travel. There is in fact a new generation of Robber Barons forming, and these new businesses will have earnings that dwarf energy companies, airlines, railroads, steel, coal, or any other prior business.

[Loki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'T')hat's a funny picture dinopello. Moses with a M-16?

[KaiserJeep]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'T')hat's a funny picture dinopello. Moses with a M-16?

So KJ, how much money to you have into this? Which companies?

[Quinny]

sounds like a good scheme - especially the bit where they don't let you stock pick Bet your families glad about that!

[Lore]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lore', 'W')here will all the financial resources come for all of this interstellar space travel? You know, the cheddar?

[dinopello]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'T')hat's a funny picture dinopello. Moses with a M-16?

[KaiserJeep]

That looks like an illustration from the "Golden Years" of SF, from the early 1930's to the late 1950's.

[Timo]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KaiserJeep', 'I') don't believe in belittling other people or their opinions. I only ask of those reading my words that they think about what I have said, and form their own opinions. Understand that few in this thread are widely read enough to have an opinion on this topic, which fact has not at all restrained them from expressing their ill-informed opinions.

[Keith_McClary]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Dybbuk', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KaiserJeep', 'Y')ou can today plunk down your money and invest in commercial space travel. There is in fact a new generation of Robber Barons forming, and these new businesses will have earnings that dwarf energy companies, airlines, railroads, steel, coal, or any other prior business.

[Loki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'T')hat's a funny picture dinopello. Moses with a M-16?

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Henriksson', 'A')nyone up for living on Antarctica? I hear it actually has a breathable atmosphere, and is economically accessible.

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KaiserJeep', 'I') don't believe in belittling other people or their opinions. I only ask of those reading my words that they think about what I have said, and form their own opinions. Understand that few in this thread are widely read enough to have an opinion on this topic, which fact has not at all restrained them from expressing their ill-informed opinions.

[vtsnowedin]

Another thought! (wow two in one day). If we really wanted to establish a colony on Mars would we not send up several missions manned with robots that could build and prove out a habitat first. Send seeds and bacteria with them and have them grow food crops and develop a sustainable atmosphere under the doom etc. When they get it all nice and cozy they can then put the light on for our pioneers.
Of course anything we could do there we could do much easier on some desolate part of the earth without the expense of the rocket fuel.