Anyone else kinda of bummed about the luxurization and commercialization of space travel?

[Slayven]

Going into space use to about using the pinnical of man's knowledge to get there and farther science. But it's now about dick waving for rich people. It's kinda of sad that every dystopian scifi warned about it, but they got it in wrong in the fact how fast it happened and they don't even try to hide it

 

[Nacho Papi]

Gotta start somewhere...rich people first as always.

 

[Musubi]

Not really. I expected as much.

 

[boontobias]

I heard on the radio a report about the SpaceX launch. Some chucklehead representative really said "This is a huge step forward for normal everyday people being able to go to space if they can afford it"

 

[Slayven]

Gotta start somewhere...rich people first as always.

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It's cute you still believe in trickle down. I mean it will in the fact they will need housekeeping and chiefs, but you ain't going to be rubbing elbows with Mush on your off hours

 

[sir_crocodile]

They need to do this to help pay for it though. we've already seen how painfully slow progress is relying on governments.

 

[El Bombastico]

I mean, air travel was the same when it started...

 

[Ducarmel]

I don't mind the commercialization, hopefully it gets cheaper that anybody can go to space with a little bit of cash

I'm still suprised the military is not involved more in sending people/building bases/colony off planet.

 

[Slayven]

They need to do this to help pay for it though. we've already seen how painfully slow progress is relying on governments.

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Putting things in the hands of techbros always works out for mankind

 

[Imperial Bishop]

I can't say I'm surprised.

Also, this didn't age well

 

[RadzPrower]

Sadly, society doesn't get much done when it's simply for the greater good. I think we could if we reinvented ourselves as a society, so it's not that I think it's inherent to human nature or anything. I do think that the culture of greed we've fostered and is a fundamental part of our world society holds us back in a lot of ways though.

 

[sir_crocodile]

Putting things in the hands of techbros always works out for mankind

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But you know the alternative is crap budgets and nasa being forced to make components in various states by local senators, meaning the already low budget is used very inefficiently and things take forever to happen. Once the space race and political will disappeared, so did the rapid progress. Current situation isn't great but I'm not sure how else it's going to happen.

 

[Purslane]

Let them have their little pointless trips to low Earth orbit, we'll see how things are when/if we have an actual place to space travel to.

 

[gozu]

There are much bigger fish to fry than worry about some rich people endangering their lives for fun 😊

 

[kami_sama]

I don't mind the commercialization, hopefully it gets cheaper that anybody can go to space with a little bit of cash

I'm still suprised the military is not involved more in sending people/building bases/colony off planet.

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I agree. No idea why there isn't more space travel by governmental agencies.
And I don't think this is a trickle down thing. Flight was also for rich people only at the start and now millions travel every day for very cheap (at least in Europe, prices are worse in the US iirc)

 

[OberstKrueger]

It's cute you still believe in trickle down. I mean it will in the fact they will need housekeeping and chiefs, but you ain't going to be rubbing elbows with Mush on your off hours

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It was always going to be true risk-taking pioneers (typical astronaut) and those with enough money to forego at least some of the risk/talent to get up there. But as humanity continues to progress into space, more and more will need to go up. Long-term, it won't be just a dozen or two people up in space at any one time, but progress upwards as more needs arise. And not just as wait-staff for the elites, but to do more actual work.

That's not happening next week or next year, even, but we'll see the numbers increase further in our lifetimes.

 

[Ororo]

Airplanes, Trains, automobiles, hell horse riding was all luxurious at one point. If anything I'm excited that perhaps in my lifetime it could be something affordable. The more money rich people pour into this today the more chances i'll be able to do it in the future as it becomes more efficient and cheaper. I'm not saying i'll be able to experience it, just that there's a higher chance of it, and a higher chance say normal people in the future will.

 

[Slayven]

But you know the alternative is crap budgets and nasa being forced to make components in various states where senators have forced them to, meaning the already low budget is used very inefficiently and things take forever to happen. Once the space race and political will disappeared, so did the rapid progress. Current situation isn't great but I'm not sure how else it's going to happen.

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I mean Bezo is paying for his ride with people working 14 hours and being forced to piss in soda bottles.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

Ultimately, they've destroyed the earth and they're trying to escape. We should be ensure they are never allowed to leave.

 

[Deleted member 4614]

Why would a responsible government send more than a few people to space though

 

[Sanka]

What's the alternative? Who is supposed to pay for your trips to space? I would rather the state does not waste tax money to encourage that kind of thing.

 

[MonoStable]

Nope I think it's great, something that was once extremely difficult is now an everyday occurrence and almost looks easy.

 

[BassForever]

Not in our lifetimes, but probably in the next 200-300 years I imagine space flights will be a lot more common then they are today.

 

[Deleted member 4614]

Ultimately, they've destroyed the earth and they're trying to escape. We should be ensure they are never allowed to leave.

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They can leave. They won't live. It'll kill them quicker than a death sentence and be more constrictive than a prison cell.

 

[sir_crocodile]

I mean Bezo is paying for his ride with people working 14 hours and being forced to piss in soda bottles.

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Yep. Though I don't expect anything from his venture anyway. I think he still hasn't won a single nasa contract.

 

[Friskykillface]

Not really, Lance Bass paid a shit load back then and I figured it'd always be super expensive unless we advanced super fast in technology
Even the fast and the furious advanced faster than us, Dom and family won

Elysium is out of reach for them so they'll burn with the rest of us or become mole people

W

 

[XMonkey]

I always saw this pathway as necessary to (eventually) bringing about space travel for more average people so I'm excited this is finally happening on a bigger scale.

 

[kami_sama]

Yep. Though I don't expect anything from his venture anyway. I think he still hasn't won a single nasa contract.

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Yeah, blue origin seems dead in the water, they only have a rocket that can't even go to orbit, they got denied the nasa contract and they're behind the development of the rocket engine that is going to be used in SLS.

 

[TyrantII]

I mean, the more things change, the more they're the same.

First it was Governments jockeying for resources and territory, and then private capital (the rich) that led to Europe's expansion of it's empires. Space isn't going to be much different, except it truly is a an empty frontier.

Ultimately, they've destroyed the earth and they're trying to escape. We should be ensure they are never allowed to leave.

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This is wrong, as there is nowhere for them to go.

The reason for the push is three fold; we need the resources to change our energy economy here on earth (rare earth metals are abundant in space), the space economy is going to be worth 100's of trillions, and last we'll eventually move the worst of our polluting production off world to offset the environmental problems here.

It's very much about controlling that economy and future, not escaping it.

 

[Senator Toadstool]

They need to do this to help pay for it though. we've already seen how painfully slow progress is relying on governments.

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Hahahaha governments are giving them free money to do this. they're not paying for it themselves

 

[Deleted member 79451]

The world made a choice to move away from public funded things for the public good and inside moved to public funded things for the private good.

The tax payer still pays, only now it goes to the rich so they can be richer. And they label it as privately funded so that capitalists can push their agenda and make the poor poorer.

Anyone who doesn't have perverted thinking would be here outraged and never make excuses and never absurdly believe the lies that private interests made these things possible.

 

[NunezL]

I'm failing to see any scenario where space would somehow be affordable right out of the gate for civilians.

Hahahaha governments are giving them free money to do this. they're not paying for it themselves

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A contract is not free money. Governments are paying for a ride to space.

 

[Senator Toadstool]

A contract is not free money. Governments are paying for a ride to space.

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True, that's the point Im trying to make it's still governments doing this rich people just take and steal the glory

 

[entremet]

Seems it following the same trajectory most tech does. Massively expensive and hard for most to afford.

NASA is still doing a lot of research.

 

[Couleurs]

we get to hope their rockets explode (for the worst of the worst, like Bezos)

 

[Ubik]

meh, the billionaire commercialization of space is just replacing the Cold War posturing that used to go along with space exploration. Science and advancing mankind being second fiddle in space is nothing new.

 

[kami_sama]

The world made a choice to move away from public funded things for the public good and inside moved to public funded things for the private good.

The tax payer still pays, only now it goes to the rich so they can be richer. And they label it as privately funded so that capitalists can push their agenda and make the poor poorer.

Anyone who doesn't have perverted thinking would be here outraged and never make excuses and never absurdly believe the lies that private interests made these things possible.

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You're wrong if you thing whatever space things that were there before wasn't paid by the public to private firms. Almost every rocket by the us was made by private companies, including the apollo program.
The only difference is that now everything is done by one company, SpaceX, instead of many. Also, it was used as a jobs program by the US, that's why so many parts were made in different places. And that's a reason it cost so much.

 

[NunezL]

True, that's the point Im trying to make it's still governments doing this rich people just take and steal the glory

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All of rockets in the history of NASA have been built by private companies and made their CEOs extremely rich. The only difference right now is that NASA doesn't dictate nor own the design, and contractors cannot infinitely inflate their prices like they used to do.
To give you an idea it cost less for SpaceX to build an orbit capable capsule that can rendez vous with the ISS than the estimated cost of NASA's future spacesuit for lunar missions. I mean, just the spacesuit.

 

[Kinthey]

Seems like a natural part of progress to me.

 

[Dever]

Going into space use to about using the pinnical of man's knowledge to get there and farther science. But it's now about dick waving for rich people.

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Wasn't it just dick waving for governments back in the 60s?

 

[Thorn]

Luxurization and Commercialization of space travel has been a thing since we even considered the notion of living in the stars.

 

[NunezL]

Going into space use to about using the pinnical of man's knowledge to get there and farther science. But it's now about dick waving for rich people.

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If going to orbit is still the pinnacle of man's knowledge after 60 years then it's a huge failing. I think it's logical that NASA and other space agencies concentrate on frontier technology to explore other planets and the confines of space while private companies take the torch for the ride to orbit.

 

[Wrapped in Black]

Space travel's a thing?

 

[Deleted member 79451]

You're wrong if you thing whatever space things that were there before wasn't paid by the public to private firms. Almost every rocket by the us was made by private companies, including the apollo program.
The only difference is that now everything is done by one company, SpaceX, instead of many. Also, it was used as a jobs program by the US, that's why so many parts were made in different places. And that's a reason it cost so much.

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This is factually incorrect and the sort of obtuse shitposting which breaks down conversation that I'm talking about.

While some parts were commissioned out, as with almost every project, the entire projects were still wholly owned and led by the government, the research gained where publicly owned and we could all profit. This wasn't money HANDED to billionaires so they could own their own products, do their own research and retain said research.

 

[neoak]

Like Airplanes, which used to be really expensive. It will eventually go down.

 

[NunezL]

This is factually incorrect and the sort of obtuse shitposting which breaks down conversation that I'm talking about.

While some parts were commissioned out, as with almost every project, the entire projects were still wholly owned and led by the government, the research gained where publicly owned and we could all profit. This wasn't money HANDED to billionaires so they could own their own products, do their own research and retain said research.

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Agree on the research being public, but saying "some parts were commissioned out" is also factually incorrect. Virtually everything was commisionned out, it was just done under NASA's specifications and precise design.

 

[SquirrelSr]

Don't these tech bros all use publicly funded research?

Space travel's a thing?

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Only in the minds of billionaires trying to leave our hellhole.

 

[teruterubozu]

Most meaningful space exploration will be done by drones in the future anyway. Humans in space is just kind of a novelty pastime these days.

 

[kami_sama]

This is factually incorrect and the sort of obtuse shitposting which breaks down conversation that I'm talking about.

While some parts were commissioned out, as with almost every project, the entire projects were still wholly owned by the government, the research gained where publicly owned and we could all profit. This wasn't money HANDED to billionaires so they could own their own products, do their own research and retain said research.

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And what does it matter that the project was owned by the government if the rockets still need to be built by the same companies costing exorbitant sums? And almost every part was commissioned https://apollo11space.com/apollo-program-and-private-companies/
I agree that losing the research is bad and maybe some sort of arrangement is needed.

 

[Älg]

The question I have is, what is the practial purpose of commercial space travel at this current time?

I understand that all thing are expensive at first, same thing as with cars and planes, but at least those things served their purpose even when they were only available to the wealthy elite. Commercial space travel today serves no real purpose whatsoever, and just seems like a huge waste of resources to let ultra-billionaires suck their own cocks for 30 minutes. Like, does it even produce any useful data for the further development of space travel?

At the moment it just seems like it would be more practial to focus on space missions with real purpose, and that the privatisation of space travel is a huge loss for the public.

But hey I'd love to be wrong.