Why are we looking to the stars? For greed, or necessity?

BY STEVEN KASZAB

Since movies were invented, the subject of travelling off to a distant planet has captured the complete attention of the public worldwide. Reasons to travel into outer space vary.

The scientific motivation to explore the unknown, expanding our knowledge and human experience. Then there is the natural human response as one looks to the skies…“What the heck is up there?” Since WW2 a strategic nature to the off world has existed for military reasons. Inevitable global overpopulation seeks the question “Where do we go now?” Poor people ask, “What about us?”

Worldwide expenditures upon all things outer space have reached the trillions of dollars. Various governments claim these costs that could be invested in feeding and housing the world must be made for strategic, prestige and most importantly economic reasons. The military do as they always do; try to militarize every aspect of the human experience, seeing threats everywhere and spending a lot of money on problems that can be more easily and less costly solved. And yes, travel to outer space is uniquely desired, and both personally and nationally prestigious.

Every time an entrepreneur looks to the stars they don’t see adventure, exploration and discovery, but monetary possibilities. It’s all about profits and possible financial wins not for a people, or nation, but for corporations and extremely wealthy individuals. What do I mean?

Scientists have devised that Mars is an excellent source for diamonds and other gems, as well as essential minerals. Maybe Jupiter and Saturn. An international team of scientists have said that Mercury may have a layer of diamonds 10 miles (16km) thick near the boundary of the planet’s core. Gemstones, energy sources, precious minerals for our EV Sector to name a few items these business folk are planning to harvest, actually buying up acreage on and in these planets already. Purchasing billions of dollars of property on these planets with the expectation of future financial windfalls. The Journal of Nature Communications suggests a major economic upturn in intergalactic exploration is well on its way creating jobs for those educated in all things galactic.

The world has spent trillions of dollars that if spent on worldly needs would have solved many of the globe’s difficulties, but business has one priority and that is to make massive profits. Helping their neighbours, communities, and nations out of poverty, defeating addictions, resolving many of our problems created by climate change are not priorities. Oh no! NASA remains in the management of the government while its funding, sourcing and dependence upon the corporate world remains.

We do have some sidebar issues such as knowing when a large asteroid may hit the world and destroy it, or when and where the sun flares will disrupt global communications and possibly superheat the globe’s water ways. Thousands of inventions for space travel have been introduced to humanities global economy as well.

Human greed fuels the space sector with its financial lust to consume. Corporations are now looking to the stars to see where, what, how, and when these precious minerals can be harvested. Having destroyed the earth’s resource base, they now look to the stars with the hope of forgetting the earth and creating a new beginning somewhere else.