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New power sources. Using the high vacuum and near-absolute-zero ambient temperatures of space, gigantic supercolliders could be constructed almost at a whim, just by positioning a few superconducting coils around the yard, as it were. The needed vacuum and cold cost big bucks on earth, but are free in space. Supercolliders are the kind of powerful instruments needed to study the inner space of subatomic particles and to manufacture usable quantities of antimatter. The release of energy accompanying the controlled fusion of matter and antimatter is a reasonable basis for starship propulsion.
Better politics. New ideas are the bane of the established order, as the ideas of John Locke were to the European power structure of the 18th century. It took a frontier to create the kind of representative democracy much of the world now enjoys. It takes a frontier to sustain it. And it will take a frontier to facilitate the next step to a pure democracy, in which the individual exercises greater authority and assumes greater responsibility.
Pure science collects a windfall. Besides the tools and opportunities already mentioned above:
- Radio astronomy facilities on the dark side of the moon, where scientists using instruments shielded from our civilization's electromagnetic noise, can read the early history of the universe in its own red-shifted, low-energy language.
- Cheaper, better and faster exploration of deep space by robots manufactured in, and launched from, the moon's orbit. They could be simpler, more reliable, but also larger and more capable than earth-built probes because they would not have to withstand the rigors or a launching from earth. Yet they would be inexpensive because hardening for a rocket launch and the launch itself are the major costs of robotic space exploration.
- A jumping-off place for the exploration and colonization of the more remote spots in the solar system, including Mars, the asteroid belt and the moons of Jupiter.
Finally, and most importantly, our cities in the sky will offer new opportunities, or a second chance, for individuals like you. In a small space population, your skills will be unique and valued, even if, on earth, all you can expect is a lousy job, four walls and a TV. You will have first crack at marketing new products and inventions, because you are where the market is. By the time the conglomerates catch up, you'll own the business. Its happened before. It's the way frontiers work.
Welcome to the high frontier.
P.S.
Start a discussion if you like. Ask a question. Ask a bunch. For faster personal attention, send e-mail to lwinn@aol.com.
