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Problems of Interplanetary and Interstellar Trade
Abstract
If and when interplanetary and interstellar trade develop, it will be novel in two respects. First, the distances and time spans involved will reduce all or nearly all trade to the exchange of intangible goods. That threatens the possibility of conducting business in a genuinely common currency and of enforcing debt agreements incurred by governments. Second, interstellar trade suggests trade between humans and aliens. Cultural distance is a probable obstacle to initiating and sustaining such trade. Such exchange also threatens the release of new and dangerous memes.
... Space policy broadly covers all human interests and associated activities in outer space and the celestial bodies. The interests can be political, military, and socio-economic in nature, and their projectors can be a state or non-state actor like international organisations, civil society groups, and corporate bodies (Chaisson, 1998;Dolman, 2002;Dudley-Flores and Gangale, 2012;Harding, 2013;Hickman, 2008;Klein, 2006;Sadeh, 2002a;Zakutnyaya and Odintsova, 2009). Space policy entails a series of programmes and activities, including rocketry and space flights (either manned or unmanned), artificial satellite systems (for research, communication, navigation and remote sensing), astronomy and cosmology, and all related research and development (R&D). ...
... This perspective is also encouraging human settlement in and colonisation of space and the exploitation of celestial bodies for resource extraction (Anderson, 2013;Bruhns and Haqq-Misra, 2016;Hertzfeld, 2007;Utrilla, 2017). These are linked to emerging debates on interplanetary trade and extra-terrestrial politics of mankind (Dudley-Flores and Gangale, 2012;Hickman, 2008;Schwartz, 2017). In view of these, Hudgins (2002) described space as "free market frontier", the next frontier for capitalist expansion. ...
The end of the Cold War has witnessed a significant increase in the actors and expansion in the
interests that are involved in space. Beyond the growing importance of non-state actors, many
developing countries have developed space strategies and transformed space politics from the
exclusive club of technological advanced and powerful countries. These have also transformed
national interests in space from militarised security and prestige to diverse (national and
human) development and security aspirations. These developments call for maximum utility of
space and attendant technologies, multidisciplinary approaches to space studies, with more
room for social sciences, and attention for the underexplored experiences of the developing
countries. Accordingly, this study interrogates decades of space activities in Nigeria and South
Africa, and their contribution to the development and security aspirations of affected
governments and peoples. This is critical to determine the utility of space policy and investment
in these countries, and contribute to the development of African perspectives in space politics
and policy studies, and associated narrative in International Relations.
This study adopted multilayer triangulation, covering theory (such as utilitarianism, realism,
liberalism, dependency and social constructivism), data (form – qualitative and quantitative –
and sources – primary and secondary), research site (five locations per country), and (mixed)
method. On these bases, the space policy interests of Nigeria and South Africa were reviewed
with their strategic policy conceptions of development and security, and then interrogated in
the framework of triangulated theory as well as their historical, socio-economic, and political
backgrounds. This study further provides an overview of (state and non-state) actors that are
involved in (civil, commercial and defence) space policy and strategies, and the underlining
politics, in these countries. Amidst these, space capabilities, including institutions, human and
financial resources, infrastructural facilities (for radio and optical astronomy; designing,
assembling, integration, testing, launching and tracking of satellites; accessing and converting
satellites data, among others) and space assets of Nigeria and South Africa were assessed.
This study observed that space policy and capabilities of Nigeria and South Africa have had
varying degrees of effects on economic growth and transformation, national competitiveness,
local technological capacity, national defence, power projection, internal law enforcement,
disaster management, human rights and freedom, democratisation and good governance, food
and water security, environmental sustainability, quality of health and education systems,
poverty alleviation and employment opportunities, and international cooperation Nevertheless, space capabilities remain largely underutilised, and their potential impacts on
development and security of these countries are yet to be fully realised. The study, therefore,
recommends strategic management of available resources and cooperation for these countries
to maximise utility from space and attendant technologies for their development and security.
... Ezek ugyanis eltérő kategóriáknak tekinthetőek. A Mars hipotetikus terraformálása (földszerűvé és lakhatóvá tétele) esetén, például ha mindössze 200 milliárd dollárt vennénk fel 5 százalékos kamattal 700 évre, akkor is annyit kellene visszafizetnünk, hogy a vállalkozás nullszaldóssá tételéhez a vörös bolygó felszínét végül négyzetkilométerenként 1 milliárdért lennénk kénytelenek árulni (Hickman 2008). Konklúzió: a kamat mint pénzügyi eszköz meglehetősen jól bevált az emberi élet léptékében, de teljesen irreális eredményekre vezet, ha néhány száz évről van szó. ...
... Settlers will signal back greetings to their now distant friends and relatives. Perhaps, at one point, even trade relations will be established, and negotiations for intangible goods, inventions, and art be communicated across the stars (Hickman 2008;Krugman 2010). Round-trip times likely measure at least in decades to centuries between inhabited exoplanets (or more generally: nodes), making conversations difficult. ...
It has recently been suggested in this journal by Benford (2019) that "Lurkers" in the form of interstellar exploration probes could be present in the solar system. Similarly, extraterrestrial intelligence could send long-lived probes to many other stellar systems, to report back science and surveillance. If probes and planets with technological species exist in more than a handful of systems in our galaxy, it is beneficial to use a coordinated communication scheme. Due to the inverse square law, data rates decrease strongly for direct connections over long distances. The network bandwidth could be increased by orders of magnitude if repeater stations (nodes) are used in an optimized fashion. This introduction to a series of papers makes the assumptions of the communication scheme explicit. Subsequent papers will discuss technical aspects such as transmitters, repeaters, wavelengths, and power levels. The overall purpose is to gain insight into the physical characteristics of an interstellar communication network, allowing us to describe the most likely sizes and locations of nodes and probes.
Poszukiwanie przyczyn, determinant i kierunków międzynarodowej wymiany handlowej jest jednym z najważniejszych zadań współczesnej ekonomii międzynarodowej. Mimo wielu analiz w tym obszarze badawczym, zaskakująco niewiele uwagi poświęcono przyszłości wymiany handlu międzynarodowego, szczególnie w perspektywie długookresowej. Co ciekawe, przeciwny trend zaobserwować można w innych obszarach badawczych, w tym także związanych z dziedziną nauk społecznych. Rozbieżność ta widoczna jest między innymi w perspektywie kolonizacji kosmosu, zyskującej w ostatnich latach popularność zarówno w literaturze przedmiotu, jak i w dyskursie publicznym. Perspektywy i konsekwencje kolonizacji kosmosu analizowane z perspektywy nauk prawnych, relgioznawstwa, bezpieczeństwa narodowego, edukacji, czy turystki i wspinaczki górskiej. Biorąc powyższe pod uwagę, zaskakiwać może ograniczona liczba prac dotyczących obszaru badawczego wymiany handlowej.
It has recently been suggested in this journal by Benford that “Lurkers” in the form of interstellar exploration probes could be present in the solar system. Similarly, extraterrestrial intelligence could send long-lived probes to many other stellar systems to report back science and surveillance. If probes and planets with technological species exist in more than a handful of systems in our Galaxy, it is beneficial to use a coordinated communication scheme. Due to the inverse square law, data rates decrease strongly for direct connections over long distances. The network bandwidth could be increased by orders of magnitude if repeater stations (nodes) are used in an optimized fashion. This introduction to a series of papers makes the assumptions of the communication scheme explicit. Subsequent papers will discuss technical aspects such as transmitters, repeaters, wavelengths, and power levels. The overall purpose is to gain insight into the physical characteristics of an interstellar communication network, allowing us to describe the most likely sizes and locations of nodes and probes.
The third part of the analysis of the outer space domain is concerned with the economic and social importance of space activities. This chapter begins with the discussion of the social improvements and impacts space activities hold for the terrestrial population. The following section deals with the introduction of the economic activities connected to outer space utilization. Consequently, the topic of private entities emerging in the development of the domain is raised. The two last sections then present the issue of resource and energy extraction and the future of the space economy in general. The third section analyzing the outer space as a geopolitical domain thus presents the final piece of the puzzle for the holistic understanding of the region.
Possibly useful person remarks on the intersection of Science-fiction and Geo-science.
This book explores the relationships of Macro-Engineering and Science-Fiction, especially Green Sci-Fi. Famous short-stories and films are used to point out some salient geophysical facts about Earth and the Universe at large. An attempt has been made to create an entertaining blend of history, geoscience and other facets of human thought.
Taking stock of emerging planet data and analysing policies during the global crisis, Earth Economics provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to basic macroeconomic concepts, methods and principles, and their application to real world data.
This article outlines a theory explaining why and how states open territorial frontiers, an inquiry overlooked by students of international relations because of assumptions that most territorial sovereignty issues had been decided following the Second World War—that territoriality was of declining relevance in international affairs, and that the state would be eclipsed by transnational political actors. States open frontiers for the same reason they acquire client states: additional territory offers additional power resources—strategic military position, access to natural resources, captive markets, and international prestige—which are important in an international environment characterized by anarchy. Assertion of sovereign claims to new territory is the precursor to economic development and perhaps settlement. The latter require the state to absorb unrecoverable costs as well as much of the economic risk for private firms and settlers.
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a human activity with profound implications for society and culture that fall within the purview of astrosociology. In this article, we review some of the astrosociological aspects of SETI and identify ways to seek evidence-based, rather than purely speculative, answers. Recurrent issues include the organization and conduct of the search; human-alien comprehension and communication; human reactions to the discovery of extraterrestrial life; and the comparative analysis of possible extraterrestrial civilizations. Over the past 50 years, a small but growing number of anthropologists, artists, historians, philosophers, political scientists, psychologists, sociologists, and theologians have applied their expertise to SETI and its possible consequences. The current challenge for astrosociology is not gaining entrée to SETI; rather, it is one of increasing the interest of more social and behavioral scientists in the search and its potential effects.
Major Discovery: New Planet Could Harbor Water and Life.'' Space.com
- Kerr
- Than
Kerr Than, ''Major Discovery: New Planet Could Harbor Water and Life.'' Space.com., 24 April, 2007, http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070424_ hab_ex.planet.html (retrieved 2007 April 28).
The Prince and the Eunuch,'' In, Interstellar Migration and the Human Experience
- Ben R Finney
Ben R. Finney, ''The Prince and the Eunuch,'' In, Interstellar Migration and the Human Experience, Ben R. Finney and Eric M. Jones, Eds. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1986), pp. 196–208.