Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

There are already claims being filed on the Moon and several other planets. Visit http://www.moonshop.com/ and see for yourself. Or go directly to www.lunarembassy.com for the legalese. Whether those claims will be honored is another question... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

And as far as our future travel speed, those past advances were merely incremental. Even a modern jet airliner at ~600 mph is only about 200 times faster than a horse. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second not per hour. That's 670,000,000 mph! We've got a few more 'technological revolutions' to go through before worrying about that barrier. Worrying about it now is kinda like being concerned about the sound barrier when the steam locomotive was invented.

[ September 18, 2003, 18:09: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

Mistake, ignore.

[ September 18, 2003, 18:09: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Stargate ? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now wouldn't that be a kick in the pants!!! a TV show that had a "Real" project in it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

how would the media miss a g'ould? mothership landing on that waddaya callit hollow mountain base?

Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

I do not recall a Goa'uld mothership ever landing on the Earth in Stargate...

Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

There was one incident, but it was an alternate reality thing, and didn't happen in the show's home dimension.

Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

but, they indicated that they knew it was going to happen because something simalair had happened in the home dimension - although if it did, i missed it.

Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Unfortunately the USA has signed a treaty (The Moon treaty http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif ) that disallows claiming space objects for goverments or private industries. Many think this is causing companies not to try to go to space to get resources (the obvious reason after lebensraum). The emphasis is all on Space Tourism, Satillite Graveyards, and such.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Whats this lebensraum your talking about?

Also, I am not a rocket scientist, nor a lawyer, but wth good is a treaty if they aint up there, I mean, lets say again for argument, that a HUGE corporation decided to make space exploration a reality. Said Corp mines an asteroid, brings back material, before arrival they get wind of a court order to confiscate it on return, so they land in a 3rd world country that never signed the treaty, has an agreement with the Corp that the country will get an import fee to build up that country and they will support that Corp. So now what?

I just cant see what anyone could do, with things the way they are now, there is no super power in space, I dont consider that space station nothing more than a novelty item. So couldn't someone just thumb their noses at anyone that tried to impose that treaty. If a company had the resources to colonize mars, what would keep them from claiming it all if no one else could get there (I mean, corporations are greedy aren't they?).

Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually, they did an episode built around exactly that concept. It was funny. But the funny X-Files episodes were better. <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">NORAD, it's right up the road. Not a wrong turn you want to make. Despite the fact that there are many signs that tell you that you are not supposed to be there, every now and then someone will make it far enough that they get talked to (or yelled at) by overly-excited eighteen-year-olds with assault rifles. <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">What you are forgetting, there, is that "No man is an island." This is still true for the corporations, and even the super corporations.

Even a launch facility is difficult to build, take a look at what Brazil has been going through. A launch facility for large craft capable of leaving Earth's orbit would be monumental. Even the Soviets had trouble with that.

Add to that the necessity of government funding for developing the rockets in the first place, and the near-impossibility of getting off that addiction, and you've got a Highly Unlikely on the Speculation Scale for Independent Corporations Taking Over Outer Space.

Re: OT: future of a manned space exploration.
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Beyond what Loser said, even if a corp could work out the technical hurdles to deal only with some back water country, any corporation with the resources to attempt such a venture is going to have significant assets in many different countries. Assests that are subject to seizure.