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China Taking Over the Moon? Bigelow Aerospace Worried October 21, 2011

Posted by Nick Azer in : Bigelow Aerospace, China, Frontiers , add a comment

Alan Boyle over at the awesome MSNBC Cosmic Log has a great article about China’s moon colonization presence, and how it has private space heavyweight Bigelow Aerospace concerned…

Will China Take Over The Moon?

“Is China on course to surpass the United States as the world’s space superpower and stake a claim on the moon in the next 15 years? Billionaire space executive Robert Bigelow is deeply worried about that scenario — and he says Americans need a “kick in the ass” to respond to the challenge.” -Alan Boyle, “Will China Take Over The Moon?“, Cosmic Log

The post is one of the better overviews I’ve seen on why the Moon at all, why China’s leading, and where Bigelow and other private space efforts fit into the moon colonization.

The potential tension between a private-ruled lunar future and China’s preferred UN-style moon is fascinating…and rising, as both sides get closer to serious business. To me, history shows private enterprise opens the way (the American West, for example—government was involved, but it really didn’t develop until more personal, private influence became feasible), but it’s a different world (worlds?) now.

In terms of giving the U.S. a “kick in the ass” (as Bigelow puts it), I think switching the focus from NASA to private space is intended as one—U.S. companies within our free enterprise could theoretically be a much more powerful force than U.S. government presence could ever be. The settlement of Oregon and Washington is a similar example: England was competing for it, and co-managed the territory, but the influx of American settlers tipped the region in the American direction (with England settling for modern British Columbia).

For the full range of Bigelow’s colorful opinions on the lunar situation and details on China’s status, click through to the complete article! 

50 Years Ago Today: May 25, 2011

Posted by Nick Azer in : Frontiers , add a comment

“The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.

Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it–we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.”

Decade in Review: The '00s in Moon Colonization December 31, 2009

Posted by Nick Azer in : American History, Base Race, Frontiers , add a comment

With a blue moon marking the end of the ’00s and the beginning of the lunar-revolutionary ’10s, it’s time to take a quick look at some of the major events this past decade that took space in new directions, and how moon colonization went from still being a science fiction dream to being as real as the railroad revolution:

While this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the details, these are the lynchpin events that have propelled the nature of the base race and ‘NewSpace’ movements. With the Google Lunar X PRIZE set to be won by 2012, and numerous companies and international efforts on the cusp of truly integrating the Moon into our daily socio-economic sphere here on Earth, the 00′s will be remembered as the decade that ramped up to what will be one of the most historic decades in mankind’s history: the 2010s.

Check back in a few days, as I look forward to the dramatic changes to space that could be happening in the next 10 years :)

Moon Colonization: An American Historical Perspective July 20, 2009

Posted by Nick Azer in : American History, Apollo, Frontiers, Obama , 3comments

Louisiana Purchase

On this, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the map above demonstrates not only where America stood in 1803; in a sense, it is where America stands now.

The Apollo 11 mission is often compared to Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery. They are indeed, similar: bold scientific missions of exploration, with eventual political and economic goals in mind, mandated by a President with a dreamer’s eye and performed by a squad of mostly military hands (with important civilian assists). Incredibly dangerous, incredibly unlikely, and completed incredibly well.

Lewis and Clark’s expedition was followed, eventually, by a wave of frontier colonization that has resulted in the Union’s most populous state and also the metropolis I currently reside in (Portland, Oregon). It was the spark for generations of expansion that took America places it could hardly have even imagined.

“You’re familiar with the phrase ‘man’s reach exceeds his grasp’? It’s a lie: man’s grasp exceeds his nerve.” -David Bowie as Nikola Tesla in “The Prestige“

“Man’s reach exceeds his imagination!”- Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, later on in “The Prestige“

Those same quotes could be applied to America, today. 40 years after Apollo 11′s own journey of discovery, America is on the verge of repeating its history: we stand at the cusp, along with other nations, of a new colonial era, the true wave of integration to follow that initial step the explorers took.

America’s government, and perhaps more importantly its companies, now have Moon settlement (and mining) within their grasp. The potential that Kennedy’s mandate—and Jefferson’s before him—spoke of now has the technology in place to be readily met, the same way that the railroads led to the true opening of the West.

The time is now; the lunar colonial era is our era, and our generation. In my mind, there’s no time to waste—the Louisiana Purchase had significant foresight, and perhaps there are decisions that could be made now, that could have similar impact on America’s role in developing this new frontier (a resource-rich swath of land being added to humanity that is nearly the size of Asia).

America was a leader in reaching the Moon, and now we can lead in developing the Moon. Mankind’s past colonial eras have done many wrongs, particularly America’s; so perhaps this is a time for us to correct our past, to take steps to lead by example in ensuring a smooth and peaceful rollout of humanity onto the Moon (mutually beneficial to everyone).

The moon is there for us; our grasp exceeds our imagination, today. Let’s see what we can do.