A large, efficient economy generating vast surpluses.
is not a precondition ( if you havent noticed there are wast surpluses in our econmy today, why do you think we need farm subsidies to employ farmers and produce way more food than we need while preventing agrarian based third world countries from developing ). Look at Sadams Iraq before it's invasion of Kuwait, it spen all it's oil money on weapons and got quite a formidable force (5th or 6th in world ranking I can't remember; sadly Saddam had no idea how to wage war and he eliminated anyone more competent tha him ) but the people lived in crappy conditions.If that isn't frivolis I don't know what is.
Today's economy is large enough we have sufficently advanced technology ( 6 months to Mars isn't that long, a Russian spent 2,5 years in orbit a few years ago- with the help of vodka ) we could colonise Mars with a few tousand people by 2020, the moon could house hundred's of permanent inhabitants not to mention turists. The stuff's there but most people consider the long term survival of the species a waste of money ( indirectly subsidising large SUV's that's the way to save the enviroment, that's the Americain way!).
is not a precondition ( if you havent noticed there are wast surpluses in our econmy today, why do you think we need farm subsidies to employ farmers and produce way more food than we need while preventing agrarian based third world countries from developing ). Look at Sadams Iraq before it's invasion of Kuwait, it spen all it's oil money on weapons and got quite a formidable force (5th or 6th in world ranking I can't remember; sadly Saddam had no idea how to wage war and he eliminated anyone more competent tha him ) but the people lived in crappy conditions.If that isn't frivolis I don't know what is.
Today's economy is large enough we have sufficently advanced technology ( 6 months to Mars isn't that long, a Russian spent 2,5 years in orbit a few years ago- with the help of vodka ) we could colonise Mars with a few tousand people by 2020, the moon could house hundred's of permanent inhabitants not to mention turists. The stuff's there but most people consider the long term survival of the species a waste of money ( indirectly subsidising large SUV's that's the way to save the enviroment, that's the Americain way!).
Once there's at least some return, the capital will start flowing that way.
Until that, there must be some targeted interest put by governments, NASA fits this role is now.
I dont think a space elevator is fesable.
I'd say fusion powerd planes will predate this ( 2080 or something ) wich will dramaticaly reduce orbital transport costs.
Besides, how do you imagine fusion planes will work in our atmosphere?
Even if they do not set the air aflame by initiating more and more termonuclear reactions, their impact on environment would still be huge, not to mention their size and costs.
Not to mention nanotech, just imagine ,dump a canister on Mars let the littel pests multiply for a decade or two then order them to build mines ( easy mineral and water acces- on the poles ), habitates, fuel production facilites and a few hydroponic farms and automated biolabs ( send an automated genteic bank to Mars and let the biolab synthisize tousands of geneticaly engenired seeds or microbes-food wats anyone ).
Or an extremly advanced civ sending thousands of sublight ships to distant corners of the galaxy cariying advanced AI, nano and macro robots, genetic databanks of themselves and other life-forms ( the advanced AI would raise the children born on the planet or a tousand or so people suspended in hybernation ) The planet's a rock? No problem let the AI and the bots work a few tousand years while you sleep, using fussion to replicate any materials not native to the system or turning the entire planet into a space station if needed or just to get the fuel needed to go somwhere else.
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