Re: [FT universe]

G'day Niall,

>Until we all see some sort of international consensus on space travel
we're
>very unlikely to see any progress on this.  I very much doubt the
American
>taxpayer wants to fund this, the Russians can't (since very few people
pay
>their taxes over there), and the European space agency seems to be
content
>with launching satellites.  Maybe we should look to the Chinese.  

One of the fundamental reasons for the International Space Station (63
days
to go!!) is that it will be one of the first steps necessary for us to
head
into space. As to funding, I realise it remains a contentious issue, but
as
NASA has pointed out for every dollar spent on space programs it returns
at
least $2 in direct and indirect benefits (the US's strongest export
sector
is aerospace technology and in 1995 its value exceeded US$33 billion!).
So
I guess if/when governments stop giving money entrepreneurs and
interested
parties will at least try to take up the slack (e.g. Microsoft's
satellite
network could quite easily translate into Microsoft's orbital station
network etc.). Either way if present trends continue I don't think the
extended colonisation of space is that unlikely or far off (I'm not
talking
tomorrow, I'm talking within the next couple of hundred years at most).
I
hate to bring family into this again, but as my late Great Grandfather
pointed out when he was born (1890) anyone who said they could fly was
locked up, but now they've even had to change children's learning curve
indicators because you can no longer tell a child its wrong if when
asked
which of these can fly they point to bird and man.

By for now,

Beth

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Elizabeth Fulton
c/o CSIRO Division of Marine Research
GPO Box 1538
HOBART 
TASMANIA 7001
AUSTRALIA
Phone (03) 6232 5018 International +61 3 6232 5018
Fax (03) 6232 5199 International +61 3 6232 5199

email: beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au