tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244123422713926575.post4661594647287894108..comments2024-03-28T09:39:47.856-07:00Comments on Flint Expatriates: Rand Simberg: From Flint To Outer SpaceFlint Expatriateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08352270564340149006noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244123422713926575.post-59326360881559282692014-03-16T10:11:38.632-07:002014-03-16T10:11:38.632-07:00... in all fairness Houston and Huntsville are pre...... in all fairness Houston and Huntsville are pretty depressing too...Space Isn't The Placenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244123422713926575.post-54357700002132949902014-03-15T18:44:34.199-07:002014-03-15T18:44:34.199-07:00Well, apparently, people in Flint aren't that ...Well, apparently, people in Flint aren't that interested in spaceflight.<br /><br />Just one of the many reasons I left. But I still love my home town, no matter how depressing it is to go back.Rand Simberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11921936402309969822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244123422713926575.post-76186672495525404662014-02-17T10:40:25.197-08:002014-02-17T10:40:25.197-08:00Society via Congress doesn't set the prioritie...<em>Society via Congress doesn't set the priorities of independent space businesses...at least, not directly.</em><br /><br />Yes, it does, actually. Right now, starting in October of next year, the FAA will be regulating spaceflight passenger safety. One of the recommendations that I make in my book is that the moratorium for doing so be extended indefinitely. Under the Outer Space Treaty, Article VI says that a States Party to it (i.e., the US, if US citizens are involved) must exercise "continuing supervision" of all off-planet activities.Rand Simberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11921936402309969822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244123422713926575.post-30157511303239522852014-02-16T21:18:13.038-08:002014-02-16T21:18:13.038-08:00Two factors that perhaps are doing more to hold &q...Two factors that perhaps are doing more to hold "us back from opening up the high frontier" than our concern about survivability:<br /><br />1. The socioeconomic perspective that available funds should be spent on improving the lot in life of the poor and disadvantaged.<br /><br />2. The sociotechnical perspective that the most important technical problems have to do with human interactions with the Earth environment, i.e. energy production/use and "global warming", food production, fresh water availability, disease and so forth.<br /><br />In those regards, if you think the High Frontier should have a higher priority, the ongoing privatization of space transport is an excellent step forward. Society via Congress doesn't set the priorities of independent space businesses...at least, not directly. If some business-descendant of SpaceX wants to start an automated space-truck business between Earth orbit and a mining/energy production station on Earth-moon, I'd think they'd work out their own approach to risk for the people they hire to run the operations at each end, and just pay their people commensurately with those risks.JWillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03243354011523248499noreply@blogger.com