We are (likely) less than a century from colonizing another planet. When that happens, will we stop being so nationalistic? Should we?

MAJ Bryan Zeski — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 01:13:50 -0400

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Oct 3 at 2016 2:14 AM

Capt Seid Waddell — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 02:14:51 -0400

Probably not. It didn't stop with the colonization of the New World and human nature hasn't changed in the meantime.

Response by MAJ Bryan Zeski made Oct 3 at 2016 3:05 AM

MAJ Bryan Zeski — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 03:05:41 -0400

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/musks-mars-moment-audacity-madness-brilliance-or-maybe-all-three/

Musk’s Mars moment: Audacity, madness, brilliance—or maybe all three

Ars dissects the feasibility of SpaceX's plan to colonize Mars in the coming decades.

Response by SFC George Smith made Oct 3 at 2016 4:57 AM

SFC George Smith — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 04:57:25 -0400

depending on who is in power and if the Muslims take charge then progress in to space is in question...

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 3 at 2016 6:04 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 06:04:11 -0400

Sir, for the most part I love the concept and idea of colonizing another planet......I believe in the beginning we will be in a way for himan beings are tribal in nature.... with that said though, i do see where the colonials of the new planet will eventually seek thier own nationalistic views for either being colonials or thier descendents being born on said planet. Sort of like when America was colonized and formed.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 3 at 2016 7:13 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 07:13:15 -0400

You should take a look at The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein, basically a retelling of the American Revolution in a lunar-colony setting. The politics [laws] of space aren't equipped to deal with all that right now. I'm more interested to see what happens when someone like Elon will be the first to Mars and he is not a government. If possession is 9/10ths of the law [the law that doesn't exist right now] well. Space X is extremely dependent on the U.S. Government like its LC39A launch pad in Florida leased from NASA... but given some decades of development and all those commercial satellite contracts Space X has going for them you could imagine a scenario where Space X is fully capable of running the Mars show soup to nuts with just federal oversight on things like airspace and launch windows.

Personally I think we should. The first nation to invest in the energy to get there should be the one to have the piece of land they occupy. Initial sustainment of a colony would take some serious LOGPAC operations.

Response by SFC Joseph Weber made Oct 3 at 2016 8:32 AM

SFC Joseph Weber — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 08:32:08 -0400

Heck no. No one is getting on Planet Joe unless I say so.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 3 at 2016 9:26 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 09:26:57 -0400

What, you mean no more 'Murrica?

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Oct 3 at 2016 11:30 AM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 11:30:07 -0400

We won't and we shouldn't. There is nothing wrong with taking pride in where you live, especially when you start comparing our culture to other cultures. Despite our checkered past, we're still very much a melting pot society where all people are welcome. Compare that to Asian cultures who are still pretty xenophobic when it comes to outsiders. We've got women voting and working in some of the highest positions of the Country here while other countries still regard women as property to be bought and sold.

There never will be a "people without borders" nation because it would involve actually eliminating a lot of the backwards traditions that other countries value. It would also involve completely removing ones identity.

Let's use the US as an example. Imagine being told that you could no longer celebrate the 4th of July. American Independence is no longer a thing, so you have no right to fly your flag. Or considering we're all service members, imagine someone said you couldn't celebrate your branch's birthday. Most service members have a sense of pride regarding their branch and would be distraught in not being allowed to honor their branch.

So if the scenario arises where we will colonize Mars or the Moon, it will very much be a race much like the original Space Race was. The winner will be the one claiming property lines. The winner will be laying claim to mineral rights or other natural resources. The only way people will work together out there is when they realize how long it takes to get supplies or help from down here. By then, it'll turn into us Earth dwellers versus those space dwellers. But either way, we'll always be uniting under a single banner.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Oct 3 at 2016 1:20 PM

SN Greg Wright — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 13:20:00 -0400

No. Humans are humans, and that's never going to change, because for it to change, everyone involved, all 8 billion of us, would have to stop being selfish. Won't happen.

Having said that, there's a VERY good argument that we are targeting the wrong planet for colonization:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ5KV3rzuag

Should We Colonize Venus Instead of Mars? | Space Time | PBS Digital Studios

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