Monday, December 21, 2020
Friday, May 29, 2020
Space Force!
Space Force, the Netflix TV series premieres today. Looking forward to some levity during these serious times.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
The Heartland and the Lunar Offset
In recent news, it is purported that a new moon mining treaty may be in the works to set rules for mining resources on the Moon. The Artemis Accords is another development in a new space race to the Moon.
From a geopolitical perspective, one thesis could be that dominance of the Moon can act as a strategic counterbalance or offset to the eventual integration of the "world-island."
In 1904, Halford Mackinder put forth his Heartland Theory which posits:
Thus one aim of American foreign policy at least according to Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former US National Security Advisor, was to prevent dominance of any one nation of the Eurasian land-mass.
Eventual integration and dominance of the world-island may happen at some point in the future which would require strategic counterbalances against the world-island hegemony. Strategic offsets have largely been technological for the recent past, but can be based on other premise such as control of vital resources. A Lunar strategic offset is one possible gambit.
If technological breakthroughs such as He3 fusion come to fruition within the next decades, such an effort to mine the moon would pay off handsomely.
From a geopolitical perspective, one thesis could be that dominance of the Moon can act as a strategic counterbalance or offset to the eventual integration of the "world-island."
In 1904, Halford Mackinder put forth his Heartland Theory which posits:
Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland;
who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island;
who rules the World-Island commands the world."
Thus one aim of American foreign policy at least according to Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former US National Security Advisor, was to prevent dominance of any one nation of the Eurasian land-mass.
Eventual integration and dominance of the world-island may happen at some point in the future which would require strategic counterbalances against the world-island hegemony. Strategic offsets have largely been technological for the recent past, but can be based on other premise such as control of vital resources. A Lunar strategic offset is one possible gambit.
If technological breakthroughs such as He3 fusion come to fruition within the next decades, such an effort to mine the moon would pay off handsomely.
Navy Video of UFOs unrelated :)
Friday, May 1, 2020
Back to the Moon 2024
NASA just announced contracts of the Artemis program to return humans to the moon.
Here are some mission concept videos from Blue Origin and Dynetics.
Here are some mission concept videos from Blue Origin and Dynetics.
Friday, April 17, 2020
The Space Between
Over the next several decades and beyond, competition (economic and geostrategic) in the space between the Earth and the Moon will only heat up. Instead of just purely exploratory lense, the Moon will be seen as an object of astropolitical Great (Space) Power competition.
The costs of space access will are dropping by orders of magnitude which will create a virtuous cycle of economic feasibility of cislunar and resources development and attracting further investment.
Specifically, the poles of the Moon and Lagrange points will be strategic areas of contention. The poles will have most viable resources of water for refueling vehicles and logistical points.
For the most part, robots will be the vanguard of this increasing competition which will keep the lines of communication and trade routes open on a new "High Seas."
The costs of space access will are dropping by orders of magnitude which will create a virtuous cycle of economic feasibility of cislunar and resources development and attracting further investment.
Specifically, the poles of the Moon and Lagrange points will be strategic areas of contention. The poles will have most viable resources of water for refueling vehicles and logistical points.
For the most part, robots will be the vanguard of this increasing competition which will keep the lines of communication and trade routes open on a new "High Seas."
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