Abstract
This is a parallel chapter to the one immediately preceding it. Only this time instead of space activists, we focus our baleful eyes on several of the many authors who have written about the movement to transfer human butts off the planet. We include the following books: Petranek, Stephen L., How we’ll live on Mars; Lewis, John S., Mining the sky: Untold riches from the asteroids, comets and planets; Rader, Andrew, Leaving Earth: Why one-way to Mars makes sense; International Astronomical Union, The Heinlein Crater.
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Notes
- 1.
We the word “fan” in the non-critical sense of sports fans, opera fans, or chess fans.
- 2.
Of course, we by no means confine profit to monetary gains. Psychic income in economic parlance, or satisfaction in ordinary language, is an integral part of profits in our view.
- 3.
- 4.
For a critique of this way of looking at the matter see Spooner (1870) which claims there is no such valid contract in existence.
- 5.
The current authors regard ecological destruction to be hyperbolic, which is not the same thing as non-existent. It is a ploy by statists to raise fear in order to justify a renewal of some form or other of eugenics . Symptomatic of their hubris is the assumption that humans are likely to destroy the Earth , not with nuclear weapons but with air-conditioners and underarm deodorants. From the time of Malthus (and perhaps earlier) one supposed disaster after another has been proposed as the end of humankind and the only solution to which was the imposition of harsh controls by the elite. Should disaster strike, the third rock will be destroyed, as Petranek suggests, by the cataclysmic impact of another massive space object such as a planetoid , a supermassive asteroid , or the evolution of the Sun to red giant status. As for the end of humanity, should the environment evolve towards one uninhabitable by men, they will adapt to the new conditions. A more likely cause would be the natural evolution of a superhuman species which will be able to cope. Regarding the claim that what real environmental problems do exist (e.g. pollution) this is the fault of government , not capitalism , see Rothbard (1982a, b).
- 6.
Krugman 2015 piles it on a bit deeply, as can be seen, merely, from the title of his essay. We know full well from whence the word “denier” springs: from the history of the Holocaust.
- 7.
- 8.
Emphasis added by present authors.
- 9.
Zubrin is a bit of a space fan, see supra, but no one is perfect.
- 10.
The non-profits, along with profit-seeking corporations, together comprise the private sector of the economy. Both act compatibly with the non-aggression principle (NAP) of libertarianism.
- 11.
See above for a discussion as to whether or not Musk belongs on this list. Petranek (p. 19) says this of Musk . He “is in love with the idea that humans should become a spacefaring society . He is keenly aware that Earth will not be habitable forever. Musk seems frustrated by our denial about what we are doing to our habitat, and is ever cognizant of a simple fact: humans will become extinct if we do not reach beyond Earth.”
- 12.
Why is it important, in a book about the future of space exploration, to be clear on what did or did not occur in the supposedly “wild west.” For one thing, all publications should strive for accuracy. For another, when human beings set up off-world colonies , they will be as far removed, no, further, from the seats of power on earth as denizens of the “wild west” were from the centers of power in Washington D.C., or, generally, in the “East.” Future interactions may well be analogous to those in the past, and if we cannot learn from them, what, oh what, is the benefit of history ? According to that old aphorism, those who do not know or understand what has happened before are less likely to apply its lessons to their challenges. But if we are to do so successfully, we must have an accurate depiction of what actually occurred in that epoch.
- 13.
Then , too , there is a large empirical literature attesting to this conclusion . See Anderson and Hill 1996; Block 2002 , 2009; Butler 1988; Carnis 2003; Ebeling 2013; Hanke 1987a, b; Hannesson 2004, 2006; Hoppe 2011; Karpoff 2001; Megginson 2001; Moore 1987; Moore and Butler 1987; Motichek et al. 2008; Ohashi 1980; Ohashi et al. 1980; Pirie 1986; Savas 1987; Walker 1988; White 1978.
- 14.
The full quote is as follows: “Prodded by Musk’s bold plans and NASA’s commitment to eventually using its Orion system to land humans on Mars , every spacefaring nation has joined the race to establish a presence on the Red Planet. In 2016, the European Space Agency will partner with Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, to launch a Mars orbiter.”
- 15.
The only person to determine whether a Mars traveler should be “allowed” to increase the allowable radiation dosage is the astronaut in person or his medical advisers, not some bureaucrat working in some neo-classical building in D.C., or a modern one in Cape Canaveral or Houston.
- 16.
We should all be constrained, prohibited, only from engaging in initiatory violence . Thus, laws against murder, theft, rape, arson, kidnapping, are the only ones that would be justified.
- 17.
For the public good market failure objection see Chap. 11.
- 18.
Greed, the second of the Seven Deadly Sins, is often misunderstood especially since materialism has taken hold of Western and even worldwide philosophy. It is not, as commonly interpreted, a desire for material goods. That is an ingrained desire essential to human survival and well-being. It is a compulsive demand for the possessions (material or non-material) of other people even to the point of inspiring a willingness to rob or kill to obtain what is coveted. As such, greed for material goods can be of no concern during the early stages of Martian exploration when no material goods are yet owned.
- 19.
Horrors! “An unrestrained rush for material resources,” what EVER would WE do then? Actually, there would be “restraints” if libertarian law is the order of the day. “First come, first served” would determine which homesteader came to own which property. And, no one would be allowed to interfere with anyone else’s peaceful colonization of this unowned territory.
- 20.
What environment might be “destroyed?” Petranek urges in his chapter 7 how we can remake the planet into earth’s image. That would amount to the wholesale substitution of one environment by another. We are reminded of the so-called “Genesis torpedo”: Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home.
- 21.
The reference to “valuable” scientific sites suggests that he buys into some kind of intrinsic value theory. In this book, we maintain that land, or any good, has value only according to a human who appreciates it.
- 22.
Indentured servitude is a private contractual agreement and is thus justified. If a man has such a strong desire to settle on Mars that he willingly subjects himself to years of service, who has the right to interfere? This sort of master/servant relationship should not be confused with chattel slavery based on kidnapping.
- 23.
While Petranek decries environmental destruction, here he hypocritically praises an ownership scheme known to aggravate the worst sort of ecological devastation: the tragedy of the commons .
- 24.
That humans need laws to govern their behavior is true enough: so long as we are discussing evolved law based on agreements between free people living and working together under the libertarian code. If, instead, as we expect, Petranek is referring to man-made laws not compatible with the non-aggression principle , our Chap. 2 offers the rebuttal.
- 25.
The more adventurous of the two current authors is open to the possibility that bugs may make good eating. Consider those ugly bug-like creatures called crabs, lobsters, or crayfish. One would think that a resident of New Orleans would better see the virtues of the latter. The less adventurous of the two current authors thinks that the more adventurous of the two current authors is…crazy.
- 26.
There was a famous bet between Paul Ehrlich and Julian Simon on this very matter. The former lost the wager, and his claim that there is any great likelihood of resource depletion in the near future thus took a dramatic hit. See on this Desrochers 2015; Kellard 1998; McClintick and Emmett 2005; Worstall 2013.
- 27.
On p. 128, one of his fictional (see explanation chapter introductions below) letter-writing characters views positively “the great worldwide effort to find clean, abundant new energy sources for Earth” in space. He mentions Earth as a mercantilist colonial power on several other occasions, such as (p. 130) where he extols the virtue of “transport(ing) back to Earth from space…commodities.”
- 28.
- 29.
Lewis states further (p. 217): “Millions of informed people are concerned about future energy supplies for Earth” and bewails “the dwindling supplies of crude oil and natural gas.”
- 30.
Refer to commodity prices for “Crude Oil WTI (NYMEX) Price” on the Nasdaq.
- 31.
In economic parlance, self-sufficiency is almost a curse word, as it apparently indicates an opposition to free trade. But in the present context, this does not at all apply. Ditto for “economic independence” (p. 73). Why do these two sets of concepts not relate? Both Lewis and the present authors are advocating a type of colonization which would enable survival even should the Earth become obliterated. Therefore, “self-sufficiency” is a long-term mandate. That being understood, the benefits of free trade apply after all. Rather than living in isolation, Martians would profit mightily from economic intercourse not only with each other but also with Earthlings, and so too the stay-behinds would experience gain.
- 32.
Lewis (p. 64) describes this as “a small unmanned lunar satellite that would complete the mapping of the Moon’s surface and its gravitational and magnetic fields and search for ice at the poles.”
- 33.
In the debates for the Republican nomination for president leading up to the election of 2012, Texas Governor Rick Perry forgot the cabinet departments, agencies, and other government positions he would eliminate (see on this Hechtkopf 2011). NASA certainly was not one of them. The ones he remembered were Education and Commerce; he forgot Energy. The present authors would add NASA to his list.
- 34.
Lewis dramatically repeats this error with great verve on his pages 193–196. To give the reader the flavor of this over-the-top glee about the great wealth in store for us he states (p. 195) that the value of the iron alone in the asteroid belt is “10,000,000 times as large as the national debt!” Sorry Mr. Lewis, but that is almost certainly not so once expenses are deducted and price adjustments to this new abundance occur.
- 35.
See our discussion of the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act in Chap. 12 on space law.
- 36.
Of course, if the “differently abled” and other such protected groups are forcibly included in the initial forays, this will reduce the chances of success for the entire enterprise. Were Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo , and those who first walked to the South Pole or climbed Mt. Everest compelled to embrace diversity, and take on people who “looked like” the average members of the population from whence they sprang? The thought never would have occurred to anyone during those saner times. Furthermore, we regard it as an insult to foist upon someone a task which he is unwilling to undertake regardless of which side of the equation he occupies.
- 37.
The reader is invited to substitute for this factor of production anything else he wishes: trees, copper, zinc, watermelons, ham, human body parts, whatever.
- 38.
Increased automobile efficiency will occur automatically without any EPA mandates whatsoever.
- 39.
More to the point, some resource that is now totally unknown will very likely become available. Petroleum was completely unknown as a fuel to the hunters of whales even as the latter were approaching extinction. Further, consider the use of “sand” (silicon caulking) to take the place of coal tar.
- 40.
Why are considerations of the non-viability of slavery in the face of subsistence living important? Why are they even relevant to a book concerned with space exploration? We think it so because it is an invalid reason, justification for off -world colonization . We of course favor the latter, assuming profit considerations are in line with them. But, we insist, it is crucial to make the case for this initiative without errors in the premises, such as are now dealt with in the text.
- 41.
The RIGHT way? Repeatedly, one statist or another tries to tell us that we only need competent administrators. No, the very nature of government administration and bureaucratic management precludes doing it the “right” way (Von Mises 1944). Another similar classic is “To ensure that it never happens again.” When a law such as TARP is enacted to ensure that the financial crisis will never again occur, it inevitably fails to address the root cause, in this case the machinations of the Federal Reserve (Rothbard 1995).
- 42.
See our Chap. 10 for our list of the boondoggles of NASA and other government agencies in the air and in space.
- 43.
Rader avers (p. 46): “I would love to see NASA funding doubled.” Nor is it even clear that he can make the most elementary distinction between “private” and “public.” He maintains (p. 40) “It is not always clear what people mean when they say ‘private’ or ‘commercial’ space. In one sense, we’ve had private space for decades—most military and NASA contractors have, after all, been private companies.” But this is crony capitalism , not the laissez-faire variety thereof.
- 44.
On this see Chap. 12 in this book, where we discuss the present situation obtaining regarding space law.
- 45.
Let us say that if the present authors were to come to own a portion of a planet, or moon, or asteroid , or other heavenly body, and wanted to name it after someone who has done more than almost anyone else not only to popularize space travel, but to infuse it with a free-enterprise ethic , it would be none other than Robert A. Heinlein . His The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a must read for all those who wish to be inspired by the libertarian vision, applied to an extra-terrestrial arena. We thus have no difficulty with naming a Martian crater after this very well-deserving novelist. Our objections, as can be seen, are otherwise.
- 46.
Although no government entities are members of the society.
- 47.
Peruse the image by Stinson (2016); numerous parts of Mars have already been named.
- 48.
For more on place names on Mars see this Chap. 14, note 5, supra.
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Nelson, P.L., Block, W.E. (2018). Space-Oriented Writers. In: Space Capitalism. Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74651-7_15
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