Indispensable Systems Versus Unsustainable Fantasies

In a long historical view it would not be surprising to find some patterns of activity in the ongoing progress of civilization that have in the past been, or are being, or are in the future to be suddenly curtailed.  Like any recent explosion just off the launch pad only, before it reaches that stage.

Particularly noticeable is the exorbitant expenditure of lavish sums "necessary" for the exploration of space - after the primary determination of sufficient facts to identify which of the world-views from Earth is most correct.  That is, do the Moon, Mars and other celestial bodies have any life or monsters or threats on them, and since ancient times, what are those places, those planets and objects in the sky?

How far is far, so far that it is unattainable even in principle until technology evolves a great deal?  The stars are that, certainly.  Mars is still a pipe dream; it may be coming down the Pike, yet rationally it is a long way off and must be viewed with far greater patience than is currently being presented by the imaginative set.

How does the solar system work - what are eclipses?  These ancient, most familiar
problems moved the deep premises of human societies, to migration, trade, war and marriages.  They are still active.  Just last month, a recent partial eclipse here was greeted with relief by many innocent persons - civil, sane, and rational citizens, that at last those scary things are well understood.

It would be valuable throughout the world's economies to assess the various degrees of sudden or not-so-sudden devolution of the anciently founded space effort.  Perhaps the crashes in recent "privately" funded space flights were not to be so unexpected as that.

Mining asteroids was a pipe dream from science fiction, designed to fund the
essential Moon flights and never actually to mine asteroids.  Science fiction itself
was ramped up from pre-1900's to the intensity of a fury with the realm of that fantasy from Buck Rogers to Star Trek--solely to get more money for space flight, even extravagant speculative gambles like asteroid mining.  Star Wars was the
first science fiction that was pure fantasy, never designed to be an actual destiny for Earth.  Asteroid miners are not merely whipping boys for convenience - they should be, as vital economic factors are scarce and cannot be laid out for speculative airless gambles up an almost-impossible-to believe gravitational gradient up from Earth and up from the Sun.

Certain space activity are already vital--such as weather, communications, agricultural, mineral, shipping and GPS systems.  They are already essential, and indispensable; they will be happily funded forever if the economy is
designed properly.

Others, such as the incredibly stupid asteroid mining projects (no asteroid is going to yield anything precious worth more than the flight systems, space suits and equipment costs necessary to even survey the rocks) will be understood as boondoggles thought necessary to fund essential systems. 

If these events of sudden economic collapse of fantastic factors are true, they may be expected to continue until earthbound civilization makes sense to enough minds to curtail the lavish nonsense.  Deliberate collapse of an inflated space-extravagant economic sector should be undertaken.  After that it will be time to assess just what realities exist in space flight, and what is unsustainable fantasy.


Finally, if it is desired to do things right, the threefold nature of right must be taken into account.  Decisions must be right in all of galactic, ecliptic and geographical rotation.  Galactic is very slow and is not usually apparent unless the four year Leap Year cycle is spanned.  With all three correct, decisions will be far more correct.