Five hundred years before Columbus the Vikings landed on North America. Because they were primarily explorers and not successful colonizers, their great accomplishment was largely forgotten, it did not change the course of history, and is of significance only to archeologists. Columbus' colony at Hispaniola and more importantly the 1607 founding of the English Jamestown colony are the significant events of history. If the Spanish and English had merely "scientifically explored" the new world without the focusing on colonization, the history of the twentieth century would be entirely different. Indeed, this has been called the American Century.
NASA takes great pride in it's accomplishments in space exploration. They keep reminding us of their glory days as justification for the current NASA budget, and they keep telling us that more scientific explorations are needed. Yet all those landings and scientific results are useless unless we establish human civilization in Space. The moon rocks stored in Houston which NASA treats as crown jewels are just rocks until industrial mining begins on the moon. The pretty pictures of asteroids and planets are just pretty pictures until they become places where ordinary people live and work. All the facts that NASA can gather about the universe are just useless bits of paper until humanity moves in to set up house. NASA cannot transport civilization into Space, only people can do that. If we are to have a future in Space, NASA must step aside and encourage the development of a space transportation industry, or else nothing significant will ever occur in Space. If a meteor impacts a planet, does it make a noise if no one is there to hear it?
First launch vehicles. The Ballistic Missile Control Regime is a treaty to restrict the movement and transfer of missile technology. Those governments that have missiles don't want the rest of the world to get them. There are unfortunately two problems, commercial operators want to be able to use launch sites located all over the world, and China sells missiles to anybody anyway.
Second satellite imagery. The U.S. government wants to restrict commercially available satellite photos to one meter resolution, and to ban photos of certain countries and certain areas. The Russians and French are selling very high resolution photos already. We recently concluded an open skies treaty with the Russians that was first proposed during the Eisenhower era, so now Russian aircraft are flying low over American soil taking photos. (look up and SMILE) In a very few years you should be able to pick up the image of your choice off the web.
Third, the expansion of civilians into Space is of concern because the Defense Department would have to expend funds to protect those individuals. From WHOM? I guess they figure that if they can keep civilians out of Space, the taxpayers will thank them for saving money. I really don't think we will need tanks and warships in Space, a couple of overworked U.S. Marshals should be able to handle almost anything.
The end result of all this paranoia is that the U.S. commercial space entrepreneur is being drug down by our own government. We are loosing the commercial space race because of national security concerns.
It does raise one interesting point, If USSA is allowed to operate the Space Shuttles competitively, as thought they owned them, will NASA be required to provide everybody else with government owned space transportation vehicles for their businesses so that they can remain competitive?
Definition; Social engineering - Socialism. The defunct idea that humanity must be controlled by an enlightened bureaucracy.
There is a growing movement to save Space from humanity, to leave the "evils" of humanity behind on earth and to "socially engineer" the humans who will settle Space. This is based on the perception that "social engineering" has failed to take hold on Earth, but can be made to thrive in Space. Over regulation of access to Space will be the tool of this misguided effort. In fact exactly the opposite should occur, Space should be left wide open, while environmental regulations on Earth will continue to proliferate.
Saving Earth is right, it's natural, it's our best guarantee of a future, it's the best planet in the universe. All we have to do is stop messing up the planet. I prefer the concept of a World Park, which could be achieved by expanding all park systems by 5% per year. Eventually the entire surface of the planet would consist of park lands. No one would actually live on planet Earth, everyone would be either an employee of the state, or a visitor. All this is just a continuation of the current growth in government, and the trend of increasing dependence on government by the citizens. Government by it's own weight will drag Earth back into the dark ages. We don't have to do a thing.
Space doesn't need to be saved. Look at the environment of Space, excluding Earth and "other life bearing planets". It's a vacuum, and a darn good vacuum at that. Nothing lives or grows in a vacuum. What regions of Space that are not vacuum, are atmospheres that are poisonous, too cold, too hot, too dense, too thin, generally a detriment to human life and industrial operations. Most of Space has a high radiation level, shielding is an absolute necessity for life or electronics. Then there is the problem of ballistics. Things fly around Space with tremendous velocities. Most are small, with only a few rare pieces large enough to be useful. All these chunks of matter are dangerous to one degree or another. The recent advent of human activity in Space has only increased the frequency of impacts in near earth Space, not the certainty of meteoric damage. The gravity of any planetary body makes landing or leaving difficult, and the level gravity is not adjustable. In Space however, acceleration of any level can be provided by centripetal force. Finally, Space is always too hot or too cold, too bright or too dark.
Space is obviously a bad place. It's bad enough to be a challenge to humanity. It's bad enough to deserve humanity. Let's encourage as much of humanity to move into Space as soon and as fast as possible. No regulation should be allowed to stand in the way of humanity's progress into Space or of any use of space resources. Humanity needs an outlet for it's growth, adventure, and evolution, Space must remain open. Earth must not regulate Space as a colonial power. We must fight to keep Space FREE.
Space will belong to whoever has the desire and the ability to get out there and figure out a way to make a life in Space. We will bring our history, our knowledge, our strengths and weaknesses with us, and our religions too, but we cannot climb into Space with a government bureaucracy on our backs dragging us down.
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Do you notice how much NASA supporters are focused on budgets. NASA is a budget focused organization. They only know how to spend money. Space will belong to those who are focused on revenues and profits. They will make Space a place to live.
NASA is charged with guaranteeing that America has "assured access to Space". It is a very important part of their mission. Naturally being a government bureaucracy, NASA feels that to fulfill their duty to guarantee NASA's access to Space, they must have total control of the means of accessing Space, i.e., the Space Shuttles and all other launch vehicles. Yet it is NASA, trying to function as America's State Airline for Space, that is the greatest threat to America's assured access to Space. Congress could with a single vote, shut down the space program tomorrow, and put the Space Shuttles in museums by the end of the week. Any government program is subject to termination.
An industry is any enterprise that creates a profit. It is virtually impossible to stamp out a profitable enterprise, consider how hard we have tried to stamp out illegal drugs, prostitution, and cigarettes, yet these industries continue to thrive. Even the manufacture of horse drawn buggies continues to be a profitable industry. A profitable industry never dies.
If NASA wants to assure that America has assured access to Space, establishing a profitable private commercial free enterprise space transportation industry, is absolutely essential. A profitable industry never dies. Unfortunately this is in direct conflict with NASA's desire to achieve a secure budget position by becoming America's State Airline for Space.
Humanity's future in Space is a future of colonies, and then independent nations. Some think that other planets are the best sites, I think that Space Colonies are much better idea. Whatever the case, since Space represents an infinite resource, power will eventually shift from Earth to Space. When that happens, the people of Space will be in a position to greatly influence the governments of Earth. The petty wars between Earth governments will be seen as endangering the valuable natural environment of Earth. Likewise over population and pollution will not be tolerated. Much as the power of England's former colony, The United States, rescued England during WW II and brought stability to Europe, powerful Space colonies will be in a position to save Earth by impelling needed change.
Hopefully, a wide variety of governments will be present in Space. The quality of those governments will be the primary factor in drawing citizens to a particular colony, and citizens will be the most valuable commodity in Space. The advantages of geographic location and tribal boundaries will not exist in Space. This creates a situation which every bureaucrat dreads, incompetence in government will not be tolerated, the citizens will simply depart the colony for better opportunities elsewhere. Space may in fact save humanity from the curse of government bureaucracy.