Rant on.

 

Last night I had an odd dream.  I dreamed I was on a mission to Mars.  Nevermind how unlikely it is I would ever be chosen for such a thing; there I was, at least in my dream.  I was apparently there as part of a terraforming effort, doing tasks completely unrelated to my chosen profession or any area of expertise I have actual experience in.  In the dream, Mars had already been significantly terraformed.  While it was a cold place with strong winds, the atmosphere was breathable and one could get by with a heavy coat.  Buildings were already in place, although there were no streets.  Just dusty, unpaved avenues, good for walking.

 

When I awoke, I got to thinking about this whole possibility, and how we are failing to explore it.  NASA has plans to maybe send a manned mission to Mars in fifteen to twenty years or so.  Why are they taking so long?  The technology exists to go there now.  We could go there, set up a small colony, and learn a great deal.  It would be expensive, yes, but the scientific knowledge gained might be helpful to us back here on Earth.

 

Which leads to the core of my rant today:  The gain of scientific knowledge on a planet that happens to not be Earth.  I see in Mars–and the moon and other places in the solar system–huge potential for commercialization.  Software giants worried about hackers (hello, Sony?) or even folks inside leaking out corporate secrets?  Take it off-planet!  There would be exactly ONE channel of communication to Earth and, as such, to where leaks and breaks might occur.  Social engineering isn’t even an option.  Back here on Earth, somebody can potentially sneak in, grab a few terabytes of sensitive data and walk out.  Not so easy on a space station or other planet.

 

That’s the tip of the iceberg.  The biggest benefactors could potentially be the pharmaceutical folks.  Need a really secure laboratory?  Go to Mars!  Not only do you have the advantage mentioned above to keep the spies out, but the potential damage from your experiments is extremely limited.  Things you might want to try but can’t on Earth because of the danger to the population at large if it ever got loose you can do on Mars.  Or maybe the moon if you want to be closer.  The cost difference between the two might not be so astronomical in the long run; we’re talking billions either way.

 

The potential revenue is also in the billions.  Maybe higher.  After all, there’s a place you can breed all the lab rats you want without any interference from PETA or some similar agency.  Not to mention the capability of doing things you can’t do here on Earth.  Not just for the above scary scenario of killing the planet, but stuff which might otherwise be considered unethical.  No, I’m not talking human experimentation–I would prefer that continue to be avoided–but stem cell, cloning or other research.  Nobody’s going to reach you on Mars to stop you.

 

In short, the potential in the commercialization of extraterrestrial colonization–meaning on Mars, the moon or maybe at a private space station–is huge.  It’s been there for awhile, but it’s getting really ripe.  The technology is there.  The cost of putting somebody in space is down to a few million.  That’s a lot in private terms, but for a big company it wouldn’t be that huge of an impact in the R&D budget, especially if the returns are high enough.

 

So if any companies with a big R&D budget are listening, please listen good:  First, try to see the potential I am talking about here.  And B, if you do…let me know where to send my résumé.

 

Rant off.