L5

If you examine each major population expansion into new areas of the world
you will find no valid in place business case for that expansion (excluding
any gold rushes). The movement of people into the New World was done more so
by people willing to pay for the change of scenery. One supposed way that
the Virginia Company was to recoup the costs of the Jamestown settlement was
making glass for export back to England. There is no way you could make
glass in a far off land, ship it across the ocean and say it is going to be
cheaper than anything made in England. However that did not stop Jamestown
from producing and shipping a lot of glass.

The same goes for the Westward expansion of the country. About the only way
to make money on that expansion was in getting people there and bringing
supplies to them. Although huge economies developed in the places settled in
ways that no one could have imagined prior to the settlement. The expansion
was mostly done by people willing and able to pay the expenses and endure
the hardships for the change of scenery and the adventure.

The same is likely going to happen with the High Frontier. Right now the
costs to orbit are such that only those that can cough up $20 million for a
short ride can afford it. However we know that launch costs will continue to
drop. At some point it is likely that people will be able to pay to move to
an orbital location. This will create markets for the companies that provide
transportation, developers, etc.

The economies that fuel the labor market will develop in place based on the
people that are there. Some of these will likely be traditional types of
businesses that are able to be provided via telecommuting. Others will be
yet to even be imagined as possible.

Just my $0.02!

Kent