Space trade

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Space trade is interplanetary or interstellar trade. Futurists and pundits have been publishing plans and predictions about such trade since the 1960s. Science fiction writers have been envisioning such trade for much longer.

1 A motivator for colonization of Mars
2 Building commercial spaceports
3 Predictions
4 References
5 Further reading
6 See also
- 6.1 Commercial uses of space

[edit] A motivator for colonization of Mars

Several people have considered trade within the solar system as one of the ways in which colonization of Mars is both important and can be made self-sufficient. Zubrin, of Lockheed Martin Astronautics, in a paper on the economic viability of colonizing Mars^[1], puts forward interplanetary trade as one way in which a hypothetical Martian colony could become rich, pointing out that the energy relationships between the orbits of Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt place Mars in a far better position for involvement in any future asteroid mining trade than Earth.

Similarly Plaxco, in a paper putting forward the case for colonizing Mars^[2], mentions that Phobos and Deimos can be developed, in the long term, from being short-term testbeds for the techniques of asteroid mining and staging posts for colonization of Mars itself, into key trading posts in interplanetary trade, again because of their favourable position within the solar system.

[edit] Building commercial spaceports

Commercial spaceport concept by NASA

Control room of a future Commercial spaceport (concept by NASA)

Several people people have considered plans for commercial spaceports. One analysis of commercial, technical, and logistical concerns for an operating spaceport, formulated by the Spaceport Technology Development Office of NASA, is Vision Spaceport.^[3]

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[edit] Predictions

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[edit] References

^ Robert Zubrin (1995-09-28). "The Economic Viability of Mars Colonization" (PDF). (Google cache)
^ Jim Plaxco. "Making Mars Relevant", Spacewatch, March 1992.
^ Carey M. McCleskey (2001-04-12). "Vision Spaceport: Renewing America’s Space Launch Infrastructure & Operations" (Microsoft Word).

[edit] Further reading

Bryce Walden, Cheryl Lynn York, Thomas L. Billings, and Robert D. McGown (2001-11-30). ""As long as we're here...": Secondary Profit Generators for Moon and Mars Bases".
Edward L. Hudgins (2002-12-01). Space: The Free-market Frontier. Cato Institute. ISBN 193086518X.
Joseph A. Angelo (2003-06-30). Space Technology (Sourcebooks in Modern Technology). Greenwood Press, 285. ISBN 1573563358.