what we really need to go into space

> I think the real issue is
> what Charles pointed out, the lack of immediate large profits...

Nothing personal meant by this, but I think this idea is the fundamental
fallacy of current thought on space settlement (as much as I myself was
excited by it during the 1980s - 1990s). By contrast, consider the
economies of James P. Hogan's space settlements in _Voyage from
Yesteryear_ or _An Anguished Dawn_ based essentially on "open source" or
"free software" style cooperation. His point is essentially our society
is going through a phase change with an increase in productivity made
possible by modern engineering methods (including automation and
advanced materials science). It would be a sorry thing indeed to just
replicate the same current failing world system that can't look beyond
moving tiny bits of paper or electrical debt signals around (including
waging war for "profit") and just put that into space. The fact that the
current system can't look to the future (e.g. space station useless,
space shuttle boondoggle, Enron, Global Crossing, impending US real
estate bubble pop, pension funds promoting short term corporate policies
that long term harm the retirees whose funds they invest, etc.) is IMHO
a sign of the inadequacy of "profit motive" as a future plan for
humanity's or the biosphere's survival or prospering. We need to move
beyond this rat race thinking (where the rats are winning), transcending
to something better -- whatever that will be. People are typically
motivated to act by hope or fear. Yes, hope for profits is motivating,
and, yes, fear of earthly destruction is motivating. But, how about hope
for something better than a society motivated by "the love of money" or
"fear of disaster"?

--Paul Fernhout