The article discusses the economics of space exploration and colonization. The main points are:
1. **Why we haven't gone back to the moon**: Despite having better technology than in the 1960s, the main reason we haven't returned to the moon is economics. It doesn't make sense to go back to the moon because there's nothing there to make the trip worthwhile.
2. **Challenges of establishing a human settlement on Mars**: A trip to Mars would take two years round-trip, 200 times farther than the moon, and require 100 times the supplies and resources. The cost of establishing a human settlement on Mars would be extremely high.
3. **Economic viability of space colonization**: For a space colony to be economically viable, it would need to produce something that is cost-dense, expensive, and not possible to produce on Earth. Current technologies don't allow for this.
4. **Alternative reasons for space exploration**: Other reasons to venture into space include getting more room for activities, as Earth's population is expected to continue growing, and energy can be harvested on a larger scale.
5. **Manufacturing in space**: Microgravity manufacturing has advantages, such as producing fiber optic cables without the need for repeaters. However, this is still not a viable option due to the high cost of launching materials into space.
6. **Humanity's last hope**: Establishing a permanent space colony could be an insurance policy against the planet being destroyed. However, with current technologies, this would be extremely expensive and might not be the best allocation of resources.
Overall, the article concludes that while space exploration and colonization are possible, they are not yet economically viable with current technologies.
1. On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon.
2. This event is considered the most viewed televised event in history.
3. Ten more astronauts from the USA followed their footsteps over the span of less than four years.
4. As of now, only four of the twelve men who ever set foot on another celestial body are still alive.
5. The longest time spent on the moon was just over 22 hours.
6. The six missions were there for less than four days.
7. The reason humanity hasn't returned to the moon is not due to lack of capacity.
8. The technology available to take us to the moon today is better than what NASA had in the 1960s.
9. However, it's been more than 50 years since we last visited the moon.
10. The real reason is economics.
11. Even with advancements in technology, it doesn't make sense to go back to the moon because there's nothing there at least at the moment to make it economically worthwhile.
12. A mission to Mars is in a completely different league.
13. The best laid out plan today would take two years round trip.
14. A mission to the moon took just over a week.
15. Mars is 200 times as far and it will take a hundred times as long.
16. It will need 100 times the supplies and there is 100 times the opportunity for something to go wrong.
17. Controlling all of this is going to take an immense amount of resources.
18. Despite the arguments in favor of limited time feats of human ingenuity, it becomes just as difficult again to justify what a lot of people are calling for.
19. These people are calling for a permanent human settlement either in space or on Mars.
20. We can commit a lot of resources to go to these places just to say that we've been there.
21. However, to stay there is another question entirely.
22. There needs to be a long-term economic justification for a colony.
23. Without such a justification, it'll be a little more than a very impressive science demonstration.
24. There are ways to make permanent settlements in outer space economically viable.
25. If so, what would they be doing and finally if not what would need a change to make this happen.
26. There are a few problems with this idealistic projection of the future.
27. Humanity could grow to fill the constraints of this new more plentiful supply of resources.
28. We are already reaching the finite limits of a lot of Earth's resources.
29. Even just 100 years ago, that would be almost unfathomable.
30. The world was producing one trillion dollars worth of output every year.
31. This year, the world is on track to produce over a hundred trillion dollars an hour.
32. We generate that output by harvesting resources and turning those resources into more valuable resources.
33. This is a cumulative measure.
34. A lot of this added value doesn't go anywhere.
35. This hockey stick is under selling just how fast humanity is developing apart from fossil fuels.
36. There are billions of times as many minerals, metals, and even commodities like water floating around just in our solar system.
37. There is an extremely strong correlation between economic underperformance and economies that are landlocked.
38. The only exception to this rule being wealthy European countries that develop their local economies well before global trade became a prominent determinant of economic success.
39. The disadvantages of being a landlocked economy are so well documented that the United Nations even has a special offer to provide assistance to these countries.
40. These disadvantages compound on one another because if an economy can't develop basic industries, it won't be able to raise taxes.
41. If an economy can't raise taxes, it can't build infrastructure.
42. If an economy can't build infrastructure or provide basic public services, it has no chance of competing in the global economy with countries that didn't have this problem to begin with.
43. The only hope the economy is such a colony would have is to produce something that is simultaneously incredibly cost-dense.