I'm sick of half measures
and failed dreams. I am a Baby Boomer and a Child of the Apollo era. I grew up
on the Florida North coast and witnessed Gemini and Apollo rockets blasting
their way into orbit and to the moon. I have memories of all of my family
sitting around that primitive B&W TV set in awe as humans set foot on the
moon! I remember the words as Neil Armstrong uttered the words "That's one
small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
We had big dreams back then. Everyone thought that by the year
2000 there would be civilization on Mars and bases on the moon. Things didn't
turn out that way. Our giant leap for mankind turned out to be a giant leap for
proving our technological superiority over the USSR. Once that was done, the
ball was dropped. Nixon halted the Apollo program with 2 missions worth of
hardware gone to waste. What a disappointment!
July 20, 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the first moon
landing by Apollo. It has been half a century since this awesome feat. Something
the world took part in. Could you try to imagine what our reality would be if
we had of never stopped with the momentum we had gained during Apollo? Look at
the technological spin-offs that has come from Apollo and the other space
missions. Our lives would be profoundly different if we had of continued the
effort to take the moon for all humankind.
When president Kennedy said "we do it because it is
hard.", it was extremely hard. We didn't know how we would pull it off. We
had to make everything from scratch.
When President Kennedy said "we do it because it is
hard." it was extremely hard. We didn't know how we would pull it off. We
had to make everything from scratch. The computers of that era were very
primitive compared to today’s models. Our engineers were cutting things so
close, when the Eagle landed there was only 9 seconds of fuel remaining. Our
knowledge was lacking then, but the situation has changed significantly since
the early days of NASA. Now our technological base is pretty solid. We have the
means to follow through on the dream created by Apollo.
We not only have the means, but we also have vastly more knowledge about our situation in space and the resources that could be had. What we need now is the national will to get the greatest migration of the human species ever attempted going. It has to be as important, if not more, than the effort to win WWII.
We not only have the means, but we also have vastly more knowledge about our situation in space and the resources that could be had. What we need now is the national will to get the greatest migration of the human species ever attempted going. It has to be as important, if not more, than the effort to win WWII.
When we get to a point of maturity in this endeavor, a system of
processes serving humanity involving off world energy and material resources
would have been created. A lot of pressing problems will be solved as we go. In
order to solve our problems using the systems we create we’ll have to think of
these things in a different manner. Like the idea of a universal income. The
realization of a national priority program of off world colonization/expansion (OWE) and industrialization
would require a massive amount of labor. Labor who are highly educated would be
required. Skills of all kinds would be needed. It would also require the
harvesting of off world resources of materials and energy.
During the height of the Apollo there were 400,000 people
employed in that program. Some people believe that off world colonization
shouldn’t happen until we fix our problems here on Earth. Then in 2008-09 our
people bailed out ingrate bankers and Wall Street money manipulators to the tune
of $16 trillion. For that kind of money we could have had over 90 Apollo size
projects going at the same time and from start to finish! Now you’re talking
jobs. Millions and millions of badly needed jobs would certainly be created
while building the 21st Century infrastructure. With that kind of
tax base going, and coupled with proper taxation of the rich, all of our people
could be cared for.
We would have to create something like a National Labor Force (NLF). We could also create a Universal Basic Income (UBI) that would work with the NLF. Any citizen in need would have a right to apply for the UBI and/or the NLF. If a person applies for the UBI they would receive a basic income that would maintain a healthy mind and body. If a person who is in the UBI program, or any other citizen who wishes to, applies for work in the NLF they would receive a higher income than the UBI. Any business may apply to hire labor from the NLF. The NLF would primarily be focused on Off World Expansion. As a person gains time served in the NLF, and in consideration of educational goals met, also considering the element of danger involved with an assignment, the NLF worker would receive premiums in pay as incentive and in recognition of these things. No privately held business would be legally able to undercut wages, conditions of employment or human factors set by the NLF.
Our citizen NLF/OWE pioneers would be the creators of a new civilization. As we go we’ll gain experience and knowledge. The human sphere of influence then will be as different 200 years from now because of it as it was different before the transition to industrialization. Pollution problems from industrial wastes of toxic substances and gasses can be largely eliminated by moving large industrial processes off world. New territories can be opened up for people go and live on Mars and the moon. NLF workers could e incentivized by giving title to a plot of land on Mars, good for the life of the person. After that it should pass to the next intrepid pioneer.
We would have to create something like a National Labor Force (NLF). We could also create a Universal Basic Income (UBI) that would work with the NLF. Any citizen in need would have a right to apply for the UBI and/or the NLF. If a person applies for the UBI they would receive a basic income that would maintain a healthy mind and body. If a person who is in the UBI program, or any other citizen who wishes to, applies for work in the NLF they would receive a higher income than the UBI. Any business may apply to hire labor from the NLF. The NLF would primarily be focused on Off World Expansion. As a person gains time served in the NLF, and in consideration of educational goals met, also considering the element of danger involved with an assignment, the NLF worker would receive premiums in pay as incentive and in recognition of these things. No privately held business would be legally able to undercut wages, conditions of employment or human factors set by the NLF.
Our citizen NLF/OWE pioneers would be the creators of a new civilization. As we go we’ll gain experience and knowledge. The human sphere of influence then will be as different 200 years from now because of it as it was different before the transition to industrialization. Pollution problems from industrial wastes of toxic substances and gasses can be largely eliminated by moving large industrial processes off world. New territories can be opened up for people go and live on Mars and the moon. NLF workers could e incentivized by giving title to a plot of land on Mars, good for the life of the person. After that it should pass to the next intrepid pioneer.
This is something real. We have SpaceX and the SLS. We can get this going in a big way if only people would say, let’s do it. I’m tired of politicians with no vision. I’m tired of politicians with just enough vision not to make any waves, or controversy over good issues. This is a good issue, but for far too long we have let the naysayers prevail. That must come to an end. Take Bernie Sanders for instance. It is good that he promotes rebuilding the earthly infrastructure, but he doesn’t go far enough. It is in disrepair and needing upgrading. After we put millions of people to work on that we’ll come to a point in time when all the rebuilding, repairing and upgrading will be caught up. What happens then? Lay off millions of people?
Why not do this? Put people through a program administered by Job Corps, in cooperation with NASA and other industry like SpaceX, which would have the end goal of producing the skilled labor needed for the OWE. As the Earth infrastructure is brought up to 21st century standards, we can start the push for the OWE, and be well underway when the Earth based infrastructure is caught up. All these people who worked on the Earth based systems can then be diverted to the OWE, if they so choose. This would be the start of an infrastructure program that would be truly without limit, and be boundless in opportunity for new expression of the human presence.
So far I just don’t see many people pushing anything revolutionary like this. There are plenty of good people willing to poke their thoughts out of the box a little, but not near far enough. We need to start thinking completely out of the box if we have any hope of reversing the damages done to our progress and environment. Who will step up? I would follow a person with such vision for the future.
