This really belongs on Space Science, since it is a continuation of a conversation I am having with an Australian space enthusiast on another space site. But I did not want to get a political brawl started on Space so I’ve chosen to place it here instead.

The asteroid mining proposal we’ve been discussing here on the Zone is also a topic of great interest on this site.

ER’s post:

What I’d like to know is why does the American “Space Community” tend to attract so many Libertarian/free enterprise groupies. (I don’t see the phenomenon in Europe or Asia). They seem obsessed with private capital going into space and exploiting its resources, not because of any benefit to space exploration, or even to humanity. I consider myself a space enthusiast, and I would like to see man have a greater presence in space, but I don’t see how orbital mortuary services, sub-orbital tourist hops, or any of the other desperately optimistic proposals we’ve seen out of the private space lobby are going to advance that goal.

If government loses interest in space exploration, I would welcome capitalism take up the slack. In fact, I would love to see a profit-making role for private capital there as a complement to a strong government space program. Getting rich is a strong incentive to risk-takers and innovators. I would be even willing to support some government patronage and subsidy (normally something I am very suspicious of) to private firms engaged in such activity.

But I think that goes without saying for anyone with a genuine enthusiasm for space travel. What I find puzzling is why the space community has become so populated by these ideological zealots. Its a sociological question that has more than an academic interest to me. I shudder that this space booster mentality, which I fear borders alarmingly close to fascism, might become overly influential in humanity’s exploration of space. You might have noted that they often blame government, not cold economic financial reality, as the reason space capitalism never took off. I wonder what space exploration would be all about today if Heinlein had been a Red.

Response from Down Under

Echo that brother, word for word as you wrote it.
I’ve often wondered this too … I know many of them via internet
radio and various blogs.
I was called a “socialist” because I simply advocated a multi-nation
lunar base instead of a purely U.S. privately built one. (Actually, I
would have nothing against the latter at all, and would be fascinated
… it’s just I think the multi-nation one is the more viable).
Note that the NASA Apollo program is labelled either as “socialist” or
“Soviet style” … I can’t figure that one out as ALL the hardware was
actually built by PRIVATE companies such as Lockheed Martin and
Northrop Grumman – I think it is their hatred of the fact that NASA
was at the core of design and operations, and oversaw the testing and
integration of everything. That is Gummint and therefore “Soviet
socialist” I suppose.
And as I said (hence also agreeing with your 2nd paragraph) – it would
be really good to see Private capital take up the slack in building
the space infrastructure essential to expanding ourselves back to the
moon and beyond. The SpaceX launch of their Dragon capsule to the ISS
in a couple of weeks, although a first small step, is a critical
milestone towards this. I really hope they succeed and even if they
don’t, will continue to barrack for them … similarly, Bigelow’s
inflatable habitats would be brilliant for building a lunar base, or
adding living volume to a long duration Mars mission. I mention these
2 companies as they have actually proven themselves: SpaceX’s two
successful launches to orbit thus far, and Bigelow’s miniature
proof-of-concept Genesis modules, still in orbit apparently. Good luck
to them and guys like them.

One tiny thing though: SpaceX got squillions from the Government (via
the COTS program), and worked closely with experienced NASA engineers,
and bases its Dragon capsule heat shield on the tech developed by NASA
in 1959. Similarly, Bigelow’s inflatable habs were designed and
prototyped by NASA in the 1960s.

I guess there’s nothing wrong in benefitting from the “Soviet
socialists” after all.