Ifyouhadamattereconomybasedonfree-licenseddesign,whatwouldyoudowithitWhydoesthisapplytospacesettlementsAretherepracticalprojectsWhowouldneedthemWhyisfree-designtherightwaytogoThisfinalinstallmentinthefreemattereconomyserieswillattempttoanswerthesequestionsbytakingabrieftourofthekindsofroadblocksthatleadtotheconceptofapplyingfreesoftwaremethodstospace.
“[Astronaut]AnnaFishergotthejobofhelpingdesigna[space]suitforwomen.Thishadnothingtodowithfashionandeverythingtodowithsafety.Apoorfitisunacceptable,becauseitwouldmakeitimpossibletomove.Asasmallperson,Fisherfoundtheunisexstocksizessimplyunworkable.‘Womenarenotsmallermen’,sheremindedtheastronautoffice,whichapparentlyhadtobereminded,‘Womenarebuiltdifferently’.ForawhileNASAthoughtitwouldbemoreeconomicaltoselectalargecandidatewhowouldfitthesuit,ratherthanadjustthesuittofitasmallerwoman,buttallwomenarealsobuiltdifferently,anotherlessonNASAhadtolearn.”—BettyannHoltzmannKevles,AlmostHeaven:TheStoryofWomeninSpace[1]
Supposethatyoudocreateafree-designcommunityandavendoreconomytosupportit.WhatwillyoudowithitTheideacoversmanydifferentaspectsoflife,butthepartI’minterestedinisthedevelopmentofspace.Whyisitsoessentialtohaveafree-designbazaartomakespacecolonizationwork
InpartIIofthisseries[2],Iexploredtheimportanceofdesignfreedomtotheself-sufficiencythatmadepastcolonizationsandmigrationspossible,followingtheexampleofthewagontrainsinearly19thcenturyAmerica.Themotivatingnecessityistheneedfortotalfield-repairabilityonthefrontier.There’snotgoingtobealotofwarrantyservicecallstoMars!
Explorersandpioneersunderstandtheimportanceofknowingtheirequipment,andintheextremecaseofspacesettlement,thereisnoreasonablewaytoachievethisexceptthroughtotaldisclosureofthedesign,meansoftesting,andengineeringlimitsoftheequipmentused.
Infact,thisisnomorethanNASAdemandedofitscontractorswhenitbuilttheequipmenttogototheMooninthe1960s,sothereshouldbenogreatshockinrealizingthatcolonistswillneedthesamepower.ButNASArepresentsamonopsony,asingle-buyermarket,wherethebuyerwasdeep-pocketedenoughtopaythosecontractorseverythingtheyneeded.Spacesettlers,especiallyifwearetoimagineanythinglikeafreefrontier,willnotbesotop-downorganized,norsowealthy,andwillhavetomanagetheircollectivebuyingpowerdifferently.
Explorersandpioneersunderstandtheimportanceofknowingtheirequipment,andintheextremecaseofspacesettlement,thereisnoreasonablewaytoachievethisexceptthroughtotaldisclosureofthedesign,meansoftesting,andengineeringlimitsoftheequipmentused
ThereisalsoaveryhighpremiumonmasstransportationforanythingthatmustbelaunchedfromtheEarth,sotherewillbeasubstantialdemandforfashioningneededequipmentfrommaterialsonsite.Pioneerswillhaverelativelylittleneedtopurchaseequipmentitself,focusinginsteadonthetoolstobeginthelongbootstrappingprocessofbuildingtheirownhabitatsandcivilizationoutoflittlemorethanthedirtandsunlighttheyfindinsitu.Anyeconomythatsubsistsfromchargingfeesforcentrally-manufacturedcopiesofasecretorpatenteddesignisgoingtohaveproblemswiththismodeloflivingoffoftheland.Thismakesitdifficulttorelyoninvestmentfromterrestrialmanufacturingindustrieswhichseelittleprofitmotiveinservingtheneedsofcolonists.
Atthe2000InternationalSpaceDevelopmentConference(ISDC)inTucson,Arizona[3],IattendedasmallbrainstormingsessionfocusedonwhatconferenceorganizerandTucsonL5memberTomJaquishcalled“personaltechnologiesforspace”[4].Therewereonlyhalfadozenpeopleinthatmeeting,butIwasluckyenoughtobeoneofthem,andIstillregardthatmeetingasadecisionpoint.Itbecameobvioustomethatspacepioneersneedsomethingthatastronautsdon’t:scaleddown,personalized,fully-disclosed,andmodifiabletechnologythatisadaptedfortheirfundamentalneedsoffreedomandindependence.
Theindependenceisnotentirelyamatterofchoice.Likethewagontrainmigrantsofthe1830s,thespacesettlersofthe2030swillbefarfromphysicalhelp(thoughradiocontactandthebeginningsofaninterplanetaryinternetwillbeavailableformostsettlers[5]).Thatmeansthattheywillbeforced,bynecessity,todomuchfabricationandmaintenanceonsite,usingtheavailablematerials.Thespacecommunityofficiallycallsthis“InSituResourceUtilization”(ISRU)[6],orinformally,“livingoffoftheland”.
ItisthemostfundamentalpartofRobertZubrin’sMarsDirectconcept[7],abasictenantoftheMarsSocietywhichhefounded,andatleastanimportantpartoftheso-calledNASAReferenceMissionthatheinfluenced.Itisalsofundamentaltoallrealisticcolonizationandsettlementplans,rightbacktotheworksofGerardO’Neill,whofirstproposedminingtheMoontobuildgiantspacecoloniesattheEarth-Moon’s“L5”point[8]—incidentallymotivatingthecreationoftheL5Society(oneofthetwospaceadvocacygroupsthatmergedtobecomethemodernNationalSpaceSociety).
Thisindependencewillrequirefreedomandknowledgeofpreciselythekindsthatareguaranteedbycopyleftculture:settlersmustbeabletofreelyusetechnology,modifyittotheirneeds,andshareboththeirknowledgeandtheirinnovationswithothersettlers[9].Thefrontierwillrequirehighlevelsofbothcooperationandself-sufficiency.
Thisindependencewillrequirefreedomandknowledgeofpreciselythekindsthatareguaranteedby_copyleftculture_
Thisfrontier-libertarianvisionisatoddswithcorporateproprietaryintellectualpropertyculture.Settlerswillbeassumingtheirownrisks,butinordertodoso,theyneedtotaldisclosureontheequipmenttheywillbeusing—andthatcanonlyhappeninanenvironmentdominatedbyopenstandardsandfree-licensed,open-sourcehardware(andsoftware).
Withdeepenoughpockets,likeApollo-eraNASA,youcouldsimplybullythemanufacturersintotendingtoyoureverywhim.Butthisisnotaverylikelysituationforindependentcolonists—theyaremuchmorelikelytogetshaftedbycorporatepoliciesthatareshort-sightedhereonEarthandpotentiallydeadlyinspace.Anomissioninamanual,amicrocontrollerthatcan’tbereprogrammed,oramechanismthatcan’tberepairedbyausercouldconsignacolonisttodeath.Ifweletcorporatesuppliersruntheshowinspace,itwillonlybeamatteroftimebeforetheintellectualpropertysystemkillssomebody.
Therealizationthatthisdangerexistsisnotnew.Ithaslongbeenoneofmanyreasonswhythosefavoringagovernment-runprogramfearthecommercializationofspacebyanewwaveofcorporatedevelopers.There’sarealfearthat“greedycapitalists”couldfillthenewfrontierwithmodernanalogstothe“robberbarons”and“companytowns”ofthe1880s.SciencefictionmovieslikeAlienandOutlandhaveexploredthisdystopiccorporatefuture,andevenHeinlein’s1949juvenilenovel,RedPlanetproposedtheideathatMartiancolonistswouldhavetorebelagainst“absenteelandlords”onEarth.However,thespacemovementhasnotbeenveryforthcomingwithideasforhowtocombatthisproblem,especiallyifthelargegovernmentagencyisnotthedrivingforcebehindit.
AsforthepracticalutilityofNASAinpromotingcolonization—forgetit
AsforthepracticalutilityofNASAinpromotingcolonization—forgetit.Itisn’tNASA’sjob,nomatterhowmanyNASAemployeesmaybesympathetictothecause.Asagovernmentagency,NASAcanreasonablybeexpectedtodoresearchanddevelopmentofspacetechnologiesandexplorationofthespaceenvironment,butthat’sit.Thebusinessofconsolidatingourholdonspace,ofdevelopingit,offindingwaystobecomecomfortablethere,workthere,livethere,andraisefamiliesthere—that’ssomethingNASAwon’t(andprobablyshouldn’t)touch.
ConsidertheterrorthatNASAhasofciviliansinspaceeversincethedeathofschoolteacherChristaMcAulliffeintheChallengeraccident[10]:morethan20yearslater,NASAdidessentiallyeverythinginitspowertopreventspacetouristDennisTitofromgoingaboardtheInternationalSpaceStation[11].TheRussianRSCEnergia/MirCorppartnershiphadoriginallypromisedTitoaberthonthenewlyprivatizedMirspacestation,butduetopressurefromNASA,whichclaimedtheagingstationwasa“distraction”,EnergiahadscuttledMir,droppingitintotheWesternPacificovertheobjectionsofprivately-fundedMirCorp[12].
SendingTitoaboardtheISSwasthecompany’sbestsolutionforkeepingitspromise,andTito,whopaidmorethanUS$20millionfortheprivilege,feltitwasafairdeal.TitomadeittoISSbecauseofRussianstonewallingandtherealpolitikofownership:theywerelaunchinghimonRussianhardwaretoanISSthatatthattimeconsistedalmostentirelyofRussianmodules.Itwasatrulyironicmomentinthedevelopmentofspace:theAmericansocialistspaceagencyobjectingtothenewlycapitalistRussianspaceindustrypursuingtheprofitmotivewithwell-healedcustomers.Consideringthishistory,whocanbelieveNASAPRaboutspacetourism,commercialization,andcolonizationofspaceisanymorethanlipservice
Contrastingthesepoliticalrealitiesandthethirtyyearsofstagnationinopeningthespacefrontiertorealdevelopmentbyindividualswiththesustainedrapidpaceofinnovationinthefreesoftwarecommunity,Ibegantoseethatfreehardwarecouldbetheanswertothedecadesofdeadlock,sluggishprogress,andineffectivelobbyingthatmadeupthespacemovementIhadknownallmylife.
Ibegantoseethatfreehardwarecouldbetheanswertothedecadesofdeadlock,sluggishprogress,andineffectivelobbyingthatmadeupthespacemovementIhadknownallmylife
ThisseriesstemslargelyfromthatdiscussioninTucsonintheyear2000.Aroundthetablewebrainstormedaboutaseriesofnecessarytechnologiesthatwerenotonlynecessaryforspacecolonization,butwithwhichcolonistswouldhavetobeintimatelyfamiliar.Eachoneofthesetechnologieswouldbenefitsubstantiallyfromfreedevelopmentmethods.
Thenumberonemostimportanttechnologyisunquestionablythespacesuit[13].Onthefrontier,everyonewillneedtohaveone.Theymaynotgetusedallthatmuch,sincemuchofaspacesettler’slifeislikelytobespentindoors(or“middoors”asPeterKochlikestocallit[14]),butforsafety’ssake,andfortheoccasionaltimeswhenitreallywillbenecessarytotakeawalk,spacesuitsareanunavoidablenecessity.
Theyarealsoprettycomplicated.
Aspacesuitisanentire,wearable,self-containedlife-supportsystem,ahuman-shapedspacecraft.ThesuitsusedbytheApolloastronautsonthemoonareaverygoodstart,andtherehavebeenmanynewideasincorporatedintothesuitsusedontheSpaceShuttle.TherearealsoRussiandesignsandprivatesourcesofhardware,includingSCUBAgear.
FrontiersuitswillneedtobearupunderwearthatwasnotrequiredofNASAequipment
However,frontiersuitswillneedtobearupunderwearthatwasnotrequiredofNASAequipment.Themoonsuitswereonlyusedforaboutthreedays,andsomeexpertsdon’tthinktheywould’velastedmuchlongerbecauseoftheincrediblyabrasiveeffectofparticlesfromtheLunarregolith.Moondustiscreatedbymicrometeroid“gardening”(accumulatedbreakageduetobillionsofyearsofimpacts)andisthereforefullofsharpedges,nothavingbeendulledbywindandwaterprocessesthataffectrocksonEarth(ontheotherhand,thereissomeroundingduetoimpactmelting).It’salsoquitehard.Itis,infact,verymuchlikethe“polishinggrit”weusetogrindglass.
Aboveall,suitsforMoonorMarswillhavetobebuiltforfield-repairability.Itmustbepossibletoreplaceasealwhenthedustfinallywearsitout.Ifahelmetcracksduetoafall,itwillbenecessarytomoldareplacement.Shippingreplacementpartsislikelytobeprohibitivelyexpensive.
Whenchildrenreachacertainage,theywillneedsuits,andtheirfirstsuitswilllikelyneedtobechildren’ssuits,designedtobeeasyfortheparenttomonitor,andhardforachildtomessup
“Settlement”bydefinitionincludeschildren.WillbudgetsensitivenationalorganizationsovercometheirfearofapublicrelationsincidenttosendfamilieswithchildrenintospaceWilltheythendevelopthenecessaryhardwaretodosoItseemstomethattheonlywaysuchimportanttechnologieswillbedevelopedisbythedirectparticipation,throughafreedesignbazaar,ofthepeoplewhoneedthem.
Spacesettlerswill,inthemain,befarmers.
Thisseemstobeastartlingideatoalotofspaceadvocatesandgovernment-sponsoredspacedevelopersIhaveencountered.Theideaisthat(somehow)spacecolonieswillgostraighttoanindustrial,urbanculturesupportinghighly-specializedprofessionalslikescientistsandengineers.Thereisapparentlysomedesireto(somehow)skipoverthe“dirty”businessofdevelopinganagrarianbaseforthenewcivilizationsinspace.
Everyhumancivilizationinhistoryhasstartedbyestablishinganagrarianbase,andextra-terrestrialsettlementsaren’tgoingtobeanydifferent
Sorry,butitcan’tbedone!Everyhumancivilizationinhistoryhasstartedbyestablishinganagrarianbase,andextra-terrestrialsettlementsaren’tgoingtobeanydifferent.Peoplehavetoeat.That’stheonlypathtoself-sufficiency,and“cheapaccesstospace”(CATS)notwithstanding,spacetraveljustisn’tgoingtobecheapenoughtosupportitasanoutgrowthoftheterrestrialeconomy.Spaceisanothercountrywithitsown—separate—economy.Asamatterof“national”necessity,then,itwillhavetohaveitsownindependentagriculturalsupportsystem.
Atthesametime,wehavetorecognizethat“farmersinthesky”cannotpossiblyusethesametechniquesthatwehaveusedforcenturieshereonEarth,andthereareno“natives”[17]toteachusthenewcultivationtechniques.Instead,wewillhavetorelyonexperts—engineersandscientists—todevelopourinitialguesses,andwewillhavetoplayconservatively,whilethefirstwaveofpioneerslearns“howthingsreallywork”.Thereisnooneyetalivewhohastherightkindof“commonsense”tobeagoodspacefarmer—wehavetofind,train,andcultivatethosepeople.
Wewillhavetorelyonexperts—engineersandscientists—todevelopourinitialguesses,andwewillhavetoplayconservatively,whilethefirstwaveofpioneerslearns“howthingsreallywork”
Thismeansthatoneofourfirsttasksistoscientificallyattacktheproblemofhowbiospheresingeneral,andspaceagricultureinparticular,canbemanaged.Sofar,thisisamuchignored(andoccasionallymaligned)enterprise.
ThebestresearchtodateisthatofBiosphere2[18],butitwasplaguedbybadbusinessdecisions,startingwiththeideaofrunningtheprojectasafor-profitenterprisewhichcreatedastrongconflictofinterest,motivatingacademicdishonesty.Weknowforafactthatsomeimportantfigureswere“fudged”inordertomaketheoperationseemmore“viable”fromacommercialperspective.Theresultwasendangermentoftheexperimentalsubjectsandcorporatein-fightingthatresultedintheshutdownoftheproject[19].
Biosphere2failedasaprojectandSpaceBiosphereVenturesasacompany.Thecampuswastransferredasaresearchinstitutiontouniversitymanagement,whichguttedtheoriginalproject,repurposingthefacilitytomorefashionableEarth-centeredenvironmentalresearch.Inonlyafewshortyears,however,thatprogramalsocollapsed.Inearly2006,theBiosphere2campuswaspurchasedbyatracthomebuilder.Perhapstheywillpreserveitasapark,orperhapstheywillmowitdowntobuildcondominiums.Eitherway,itwillnolongerbecontributingtothenecessaryknowledgeofspacehabitatbiospherics,andthereisnoreplacementindesignorconstructionasofthiswriting—onemoreexampleof“bigscience”wasteduetocancellingaconceptthatwasinprinciple,therightthingtodo,butwasdestroyedbybadmanagement,lackoffunds,andpolitics.
Inearly2006,the_Biosphere2_campuswaspurchasedbyatracthomebuilder
Theproblemherewastheconflictofinterest.Eveniftheprojectisrunbymotivated,good-intentionedindividuals,theneedtoturnaprofitintheprocessofconductingresearchcreatestoomuchpressuretofake“success”.ThegreatestironyisthathadSpaceBiosphereVenturesbeencompletelyhonest,itwouldhavecontributedusefulresearch,despitetheproblems.Theproblemwasthat“usefulresearch”wasn’tenough.Theyneededablockbusterhitinordertokeepdrawinginthepayingtouristsandtheinvestmentthattheyreliedontocontinuetheresearch.
LikethesettlersontheGreatPlainswhobuilthousesoutoftheonlyavailablematerial—sod—settlersinspacewillneedtolearnhowtobuildoutofwhattheycanfind.Formost,thatwillbesomethinglikeLunarregolith—adusty,mostly-silicavolcanicsoilwhichistheresultofigneousrockdatingbacktotheformationofthesolarsystemandtheperiodofthe“greatbombardment”,pulverizedbythelonghistoryoflatermicrometeroidimpacts(called“micrometeroidgardening”).
SoillikethisisprettyhardtofindonEarth,buttherearesomepeoplewhomakesubstitutesthatareacceptableformanypurposes.Weneedtolearnhowtousethismaterialtobuildadequatesheltersinspace[20].
LikethesettlersontheGreatPlains,settlersinspacewillneedtolearnhowtobuildoutofwhattheycanfind
Therearevariousapproachestothis,including:
Eachoftheseimpliesawholeseriesof“civilengineering”challengeswhichsettlersneedtoseesolved.HowwillthisbedonebycorporatedevelopersWhere’stheprofitIthaslittleornosalevalue,eventhoughithasenormoususevaluetothesettlerswhoneedit.
Therearedifferentapproachestopowerneeds.Somepeoplethinkthatnuclearreactors,burninglunar-minedthoriumarelikelytobeimportant[26],butthemostcommonproposalistousesolarpanels.Lotsandlotsofsolarpanels.
TerrestrialfarmersrelyontheprocessofphotosynthesistocollectfreeenergyfromtheSun,whichdrivestheirwholesystem.Photosynthesisassuchislikelytobeinternalizedinmanyspacecolonies,sincenaturalsunlightwilloftenbeinadequateforonereasonoranother(wronglengthofdayortoofarfromtheSun,forexample),sothatplantswillbemostlycultivatedunderhigh-efficiencygrowlights.Butwhat’spoweringthegrowlights
Incontrasttotheinternalbiosphereofaspacecolony,itsexternalecosystemisanopensystem.Thecolony,consideredasawholeisaspace-adaptedlifeformwhichconsumessunlightandregolithandemits(atminimum)slagandheat.Inordertocollectenergy,itwillneedtousesomeofthecollectedmineralmaterial(mostlysilica)toproducephotovoltaiccellstobeusedinfieldsofsolarpanels[27],whichwillsustaintheenergyneedsbothforagricultureandfortheindustrialprocessesthatleadtocollectingmoreregolithtomanufacturefrom.
Fromtheoutside,aspacecolonycanbethoughtofasaspace-adaptedlifeformthatconsumessunlightandregolithandemitsslagandheat
Thistoorequiresdevelopmentoftechnologicalprocesses—wedon’tyethaveaformulaforexactlyhowyougoaboutconvertingregolithintosolarpanels.Noranyoftheothercomplexsystemsthatwillformthebackboneofaspacecolony.Herealso,it’sdifficulttodefineasaleableproductwithenoughmarketpotentialtojustifytheresearchfromaconventionalcapitalistmanufacturingperspective.
Peopleliketotalkabouta“work-ethic”andthereisacertainfearofrobots“takingover”jobsfromHumans,hereonEarth,whichseems(andis)silly,exceptforthebyzantinecomplexityandludditesluggishnessoftheTerraneconomy.NASA,duetovagueriesofthefederalfundingitreceives,issooftenforcedtojustifytheuseofhumansinspacethatithasdevelopedavestedinterestinprovingtheinadequacyofrobotics.Thereisaveryrealfearthatatoo-capablerobotwillthreatenthefundingbaseformannedspaceflight.
Forspacepioneers,however,whatwasaluxurybecomesanecessity:thereisafundamentallimittohowmuchlaborahabitatcantaketooperate.Anartificialbiospheremust,atabsoluteminimum,requirefewerpeopletorunthanitsustains.
Ifitdoesn’t,ofcourse,thenthebiosphereisdoomedtorundown,andgiventhesizeofsuchsystems,itwilldosoquickly.Ontheotherhand,evenifthesystemmanagesthisminimallimit,itwillstillnotbeadequate,becauseHumanscannotwork100%ofthedayoroftheirlives.Ashort-termoutpostcanoperateclosetothislimit,underemergencyconditions,withsolelyable-bodiedcrewtomaintainit,butthatisapoordescriptionofarealsettlement.
Realsettlementsaretownswithfamilies.Theyhavepeoplebothtooyoungandtoooldtowork,andpeoplewhoseworkistakingcareofthatfractionofthesociety.Theyhavepeopleofvaryingskills.Even“ablebodied”peoplemusthavesometolerancefor“downtime”,whetherduetodiseaseordepression.Theactuallaboroutputofanaturally-distributedHumanpopulationisprobablynomorethan10%ofthehypotheticallimitofagroupofhypothetical“able-bodied”peoplehypotheticallyworkingfulltime.
_Anartificialbiospheremust,atabsoluteminimum,requirefewerpeopletorunthanitsustains._
Thatmeansthatthemaintenancelaborofabiospheremustbelessthan10%ofthetheoreticallaborlimitforthenumberofpeopleitsupports.Occasionally,anemergency(oraharvest)mayexceedthislimit,butsuchemergenciesmustberelativelyrareandrecoverytimemustbefiguredintothedesign.Thisistrueofterrestrialfarming,ofcourse—it’struethattheworkloadduringplantingsandharvestsishuge,andthereisalwaysmaintenancetobedone,butthere’salsoalotoftime“watchingthecorngrow”.OnEarth,farmersrelyalotonnatural,self-regulatingsystems,butspaceagriculturealwaysinvolvesrelativelyhigh-maintenanceartificialgrowingenvironments.It’snecessarytodesignandbuildtheself-regulationintothesesystemstomakethemworkable.
Allofthismeansamassiveinvestmentinautomationandcomputerizedmanagementofbiosphereandspaceagriculturesystems.Onlyfree-designedopenarchitectures,adaptabletoeachcolony,maintainedanddevelopedbyusersofsuchsystems,canhopetoprovidethelevelsofflexibility,reliability,andlowmaintenancethatthistaskrequires.Corporatelock-intoparticularsuppliershasnoplaceinthiscomplexsystem.
Thereisanexpressionoflibertarianphilosophythatsays,“Yourfreedomshouldendwheremynosebegins”.Theessenceofthisphilosophyistheidealofa“maximallyandequallyfree”society:freedomsarecurtailedwhentheycurtailotherpeoples’freedoms.Ultimately,it’sastatementaboutinterfaces:whendoesthefreedomofoneindividualstarttorestrictthefreedomsofanotherIt’sclearthatthereisnoabsolutelyobjectivedefinitionofthispoint,justasthereisnosuchthingasperfectfreedom.Nordoadvocatesoffreedomadvocateirresponsibility—generallythereverseistrue.Inahighlytechnologicalworld,thisproblemoftenresolvestounderstandingandrespectingstandardizedinterfacesandformats.
Today,weliveinaworldwheremosttechnologyinterfaceswithothertechnology—oftenthroughveryarcaneandsometimesdeeplysecretedinterfacestandards“published”onlytothosethattheoriginaltechnologyrightsholderauthorizes
Intheeraofthecoveredwagonsorevenofthegreatsailingshipsofthe19thcentury,mosttechnologyinterfacedonlywiththenaturalenvironment,or,atworst,couldbeeasilyadaptedusinghandtoolsandordinarycraftsmen’sunderstandingofthebasicprinciples(itwasdefactoopensource[TFME2]).Today,weliveinaworldwheremosttechnologyinterfaceswithothertechnology—oftenthroughveryarcaneandsometimesdeeplysecretedinterfacestandards“published”onlytothosethattheoriginaltechnologyrightsholderauthorizes.Thisputstheenduserfarmoreatthemercyoftheoriginalequipmentmanufacturersthantheyhaveeverbeen—theirfreedomisrestrictedbyit.
Fortheenduser,thisisthepointofopeningthesourcetohardwaredesignsanddocumentation[32]—itisessentialfortheinterfacestobefreefortheuseofintegrators,othermanufacturers,ortheendusers,orwearedestinedtodrowninaseaofredtape,bringingmanyareasoftechnologicalprogresstoanartificially-imposedstandstill.Spaceexplorationanddevelopmentisjustoneofmanysuchareas,butitmaywellbethehardesthit,becausenearlyeverypieceoftechnologyneededhasbeenaffectedbythe20thcenturyclamp-downontechnology,thecentralizationofmanufacturingandengineeringpowerundercorporatecontrol,themassfearandsubsequentdisallowanceofindividualsusingadvancedtechnology,andtheparanoiaoftheColdWarorofterrorism.
Inordertoescapefromthistechnologicalentrapment,andbuildafreefuture,wewillhavetoaccumulateanewbodyofstandardsfortechnologicalinterfaces,eitherbyencouragingtheexistingholderstofreethem,sothattheycanparticipateinthefreeeconomy,orbyestablishingnew,free,standards,andencouragingtheiradoptioninhardwarebypromotingtheadvantagesofsuchfreestandards.
TheCrownofSpainpaidforColumbus’voyageofdiscoveryonwhichhefoundAmerica,buttheCrownofEnglanddidnotpayfortheMayflowerwhichwassenttosettlethere;LewisandClarkexploredtheNorthwestofAmericalookingfora“northwestpassage”acrosstherockiesonabudgetfromtheUSfederalgovernment,butthepeoplewho35yearslaterfollowedtheirpathviawagontraininordertobuildhomesthere,wentontheirownnickel.Historyteachesstronglessonsaboutthedifferencebetween“exploring”and“pioneering”.
Thegoalsofspaceadvocatesarenotthegoalsofanyexistingnationalprogram,norisitlikelythattheyshouldbe.Afterall,theoneswhobenefitmostfromspacesettlementwillbethesettlers,nottheoriginalnationsonEarth.
Thedifferencebetweenan“outpost”anda“settlement”israisingkids.Themostsuccessfulcoloniesinhistorywerecoloniescomposednotofcarefullyselectedprofessionals,butoffamilies.Yet,eventhemostambitiousNASAspaceflightproposalsdonotincludethiscrucialfactor.IfawealthycivilianlikeDennisTito,ofconsentingage,clearlysoundinbodyandmind,couldstirupsomuchpoliticalresistancefromNASA,whatwillthereactionbetofamilieswithyoungchildrengoingintospaceFrontiersaredangerous,andregardlessofthelevelofunderstandingofthepioneersthemselves,thefearofa“publicrelationsincident”wouldsurelybeoverwhelmingtoapoliticallysensitivegovernmentagency.
Families,self-selected,notbyindividualqualificationsbutbythoseineffableand“irrational”processesweknowasloveandromance,arenotontheradaratNASA
Families,self-selected,notbyindividualqualificationsbutbythoseineffableand“irrational”processesweknowasloveandromance,arenotontheradaratNASA,wheretough“professionals”sacrificefamilylifetofulfilltheir“duty”(orambition).It’snotasettlementculture.
Thecoloniesthatsucceedinspace,liketheirpredecessorsonEarth,willbemostlyself-funded,self-supportingorganizations,eagertomakethatfirstbreak-evenpointwheretheycanfeedthemselvesfromtheirowneffort,becausetheirfutureswilldependonit.Andoncetheyovercomethosefirstobstacles,theywillbetheoneswhoreapthebenefits.
Free-licenseddesign,thebazaarmethodology,andahands-oncultureoffreely-sharedinformationandpersonalself-sufficiencyprovideanindispensablefusionoffrontiersensibilitieswiththehigh-techenvironmentofthespacepioneer
Proprietary,big-riskentrepreneurialenterprisesmaymakepeopleonEarthrich;NASAandothergovernmentprogramsmaysupportresearchthatbenefitstheirnations;buttherealbusinessofbuildingnewsettlementsandnewnationsinspacewillfalluponthesettlersthemselves.Free-licenseddesign,thebazaarmethodology,andahands-oncultureoffreely-sharedinformationandpersonalself-sufficiencyprovideanindispensablefusionoffrontiersensibilitieswiththehigh-techenvironmentofthespacepioneer.
WillitreallybeNASAthatfiguresouthowtomakeanairlockthatissufficientlychild-proofsothatlittlethree-year-oldSallydoesn’tspaceherselfandherwholefamilyassheimitatesherparents’button-pushingskillsPersonally,I’mbettingitwillbeSally’smomthatfiguresthatout.
[17]Ethically,ofcourse,thisisagoodthing—spacecolonizationwillnotdisplaceanyone,unliketheWesternexpansionoftheUnitedStates.Thisisanimportantfailureofthepopular“AmericanWest”analogy.PerhapsCarlSagan’ssuggestedanalogy(inCosmos)ofthecolonizationofthePolynesianislandsismoreapt.
[29]TheCrewSpiderprojectwasnotfinallypublished,butwasanothermotivatorforthisresearchintocommunity-basedpeerproductionmethodsandresearchfunding.