https://docs.google.com/document/d/11RRzvlVLmUNPv3y6n3gkqJJQnrL0O0sj/edit
What do you, personally, think you will remember most about this interview a year from now?
A year from now, I’ll remember Lord Martin Rees’ thoughts on the interplay between private and public funding for space exploration. He seemed to think private/corporate sponsors would be the ones spearheading the move toward further space travel— they have more freedom to take risks and spend vast amounts of money on projects that will likely fail, perhaps disastrously, before they can succeed. This makes sense, but it also worries me that individuals who have much less public accountability than government entities will be the ones pioneering something as important and impactful as the future of space exploration.
How do you think any aspect of the interview will affect your own future, or society's future?
Building off of my last response, I think Lord Martin Rees’ predictions about space will be tested in the near future. We’ll likely soon see if it really is private billionaires paving the way for our future space missions, and if these missions are manned by humans or robots. The question of when AI will be advanced enough to accomplish space missions without human intervention is really interesting— plus, of course, the debate over whether humans should play the hero in our narratives about space exploration, even if it makes more sense to send robots. These all seem like issues that will be very relevant to society’s future in the decades to come, and I’m intrigued to see how they play out.
Wow, Mckenna this was insightful. I agree, as seen with SpaceX and Blue Origin, private companies appear to be the ones spearheading space exploration. I also agree with your concern, who will hold these private organizations accountable if they grow too large/dominant in the space industry and start abusing their monopoly.