5 ms·

Even if it was private space tourism, what's the problem? They'd be spending their massive wealth funding further development of space technology. This isn't a

Even if it was private space tourism, what's the problem? They'd be spending their massive wealth funding further development of space technology. This isn't a virgin galactic style technological dead end death trap. As prices come down for access to space, there is obviously going to be a point between only being affordable by governments and being affordable by everyone, where only governments and particularly rich people can afford it.

diggan 3y ago
> Even if it was private space tourism, what's the problem? I don't think everyone is as excited to have capitalism take over our priorities in space, after seeing what it has done to Terra.
- Alupis 3y ago
  99.999% of all man-made objects in space (and all of their benefits you enjoy every day) are there because of capitalism...
  - diggan 3y ago
    I'd say despite capitalism, but lets just agree to disagree :)
    - dotnet00 3y ago
      Then you don't know anything about the history of space exploration, or are so deluded by your ideology that you are intentionally blind to it.
      - diggan 3y ago
        Or, I just happen to have a different opinion from you, and a different conclusion? It's not impossible you know
        Alupis 3y ago
        Well, your opinion is not grounded in reality. Nearly every item in space that is man-made was put there for commercial purposes. The space race may have started out with government/exploration, but it was vastly propelled by commercial interests seeking to deliver services around the planet.
  - soperj 3y ago
    That sounds made up. Sputnik wasn't because of capitalism, and capitalism didn't put a man on the moon.
    - edgyquant 3y ago
      Sputnik was one satellite decades ago. Most things in space are commercial satellites at this point so the OP is correct
      - soperj 3y ago
        99.999%. Doubt it. edit: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/05/The_increasing_number_of_space_objects_by_type https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/05/The_increa... Rounding up to 30000 objects in orbit (not even in space), that would mean 0.3 objects weren't made by capitalism. 1 object put up by government invalidates OP.
        Alupis 3y ago
        Starlink has a little over 5,000 satellites in orbit currently, with expansion planned up to 42,000 in the future. At the end of 2022, there was only 6,718 active satellites[1] in space - total. The amount of government objects (from any country, of any kind, station, spy satellite, probe, rover, etc) is dwarfed by commercial interests. This just illustrates the sheer volume of commercial objects in space... In fact, here's a list of all publicly acknowledged satellites launched by the USAF since 1984[2]. It shows 331 in total, counting inactive satellites. [1] https://blog.ucsusa.org/syoung/how-many-satellites-are-in-space-the-spike-in-numbers-continues/ https://blog.ucsusa.org/syoung/how-many-satellites-are-in-sp... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_USA_satellites https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_USA_satellites
        Swenrekcah 3y ago
        It is impossible to know however, if large economies under different systems than capitalism would not have made for instance satellite phones a priority 40 years ago rather than landlines and cell towers. Capitalism didn’t because it was more expensive but a central planner might well have because they thought it was cooler. So it’s kind of unreasonable to be adamant that only because of capitalism we have stuff in space.
  - dotancohen 3y ago
    I don't know if you are referring to communications satellites, but only with the advent of Starlink have comms birds outnumbered reconnaissance birds.
- jpadkins 3y ago
  Why? Populations that adopted capitalism are significantly better off than they were before usage. And it's the best economic system we have invented. Totalitarian regimes in space haven't gotten us very far, and frankly sound very depressing for the future of humanity.
  - soperj 3y ago
    > And it's the best economic system we have invented. That would be the market economy, not capitalism. Since we have state capitalism as well as other varieties that aren't free markets.
    - Dylan16807 3y ago
      If we're being particular about definitions, then I wouldn't say that space tourism or any kind of tourism market is promoting capitalism. I think the criticism upthread was aimed more generally at large undertakings for the sake of profit with barely anyone getting goods/services out of the deal, which does fit space tourism.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

diggan 3y ago

> Even if it was private space tourism, what's the problem? I don't think everyone is as excited to have capitalism take over our priorities in space, after seeing what it has done to Terra.

Alupis 3y ago
99.999% of all man-made objects in space (and all of their benefits you enjoy every day) are there because of capitalism...
- diggan 3y ago
  I'd say despite capitalism, but lets just agree to disagree :)
  - dotnet00 3y ago
    Then you don't know anything about the history of space exploration, or are so deluded by your ideology that you are intentionally blind to it.
    - diggan 3y ago
      Or, I just happen to have a different opinion from you, and a different conclusion? It's not impossible you know
      - Alupis 3y ago
        Well, your opinion is not grounded in reality. Nearly every item in space that is man-made was put there for commercial purposes. The space race may have started out with government/exploration, but it was vastly propelled by commercial interests seeking to deliver services around the planet.
- soperj 3y ago
  That sounds made up. Sputnik wasn't because of capitalism, and capitalism didn't put a man on the moon.
  - edgyquant 3y ago
    Sputnik was one satellite decades ago. Most things in space are commercial satellites at this point so the OP is correct
    - soperj 3y ago
      99.999%. Doubt it. edit: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/05/The_increasing_number_of_space_objects_by_type https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/05/The_increa... Rounding up to 30000 objects in orbit (not even in space), that would mean 0.3 objects weren't made by capitalism. 1 object put up by government invalidates OP.
      - Alupis 3y ago
        Starlink has a little over 5,000 satellites in orbit currently, with expansion planned up to 42,000 in the future. At the end of 2022, there was only 6,718 active satellites[1] in space - total. The amount of government objects (from any country, of any kind, station, spy satellite, probe, rover, etc) is dwarfed by commercial interests. This just illustrates the sheer volume of commercial objects in space... In fact, here's a list of all publicly acknowledged satellites launched by the USAF since 1984[2]. It shows 331 in total, counting inactive satellites. [1] https://blog.ucsusa.org/syoung/how-many-satellites-are-in-space-the-spike-in-numbers-continues/ https://blog.ucsusa.org/syoung/how-many-satellites-are-in-sp... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_USA_satellites https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_USA_satellites
        Swenrekcah 3y ago
        It is impossible to know however, if large economies under different systems than capitalism would not have made for instance satellite phones a priority 40 years ago rather than landlines and cell towers. Capitalism didn’t because it was more expensive but a central planner might well have because they thought it was cooler. So it’s kind of unreasonable to be adamant that only because of capitalism we have stuff in space.
- dotancohen 3y ago
  I don't know if you are referring to communications satellites, but only with the advent of Starlink have comms birds outnumbered reconnaissance birds.
jpadkins 3y ago
Why? Populations that adopted capitalism are significantly better off than they were before usage. And it's the best economic system we have invented. Totalitarian regimes in space haven't gotten us very far, and frankly sound very depressing for the future of humanity.
- soperj 3y ago
  > And it's the best economic system we have invented. That would be the market economy, not capitalism. Since we have state capitalism as well as other varieties that aren't free markets.
  - Dylan16807 3y ago
    If we're being particular about definitions, then I wouldn't say that space tourism or any kind of tourism market is promoting capitalism. I think the criticism upthread was aimed more generally at large undertakings for the sake of profit with barely anyone getting goods/services out of the deal, which does fit space tourism.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]