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The economic security of a possible Mars Space Agency.
A fictional story of Mars has existed in scientific speculation and in science fiction, it is possible one day Mars might have its own Rocket Industry, a Mars-Force or Martian Space Agency. If Biodome villages and Biosphere colonies are developed on Mars its possible the local people of Mars will have their own 'Mars Space Agency' they might supply low tech products to Asteroids or the outer solar system, they might buy very advanced products from Earth, they might exchange scientific research with Earth or others colonies on Ganymede, Titan, Callitso or Europa.
On Earth we have examples of Collapse and Stagnation, guys that build motorbikes and radio and cars going bankrupt. For example Japan is an amazing culture example of boom and bust, the economic effects on its space agency could have caused downturns. Japan might have suffered under stagnation and bad policy. There was a time when people believed Japan might take over the world through tech and economics an older Space Agency from the 1960s 'NASDA' got replaced by JAXA, the Japanese economic system is very unique in that it is often studied by economists, Japanese culture, its centralized Tokyo power, its old Lords and Samurai family and Zaibatsu and Keiretsu system might have made the country unique and harmonious but it also helped the Japanese stagnate, people often became Conformists and perhaps unique elements of the Japanese economy and culture added to a temporary period of decline, an inflated stock market also burst. JAXA has since taken over the older role of NASDA and JAXA is now responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into orbit, it had success with Moon exploration and Asteroid missions.
NASA as a space agency has seen ups and downs but I do not believe it has stagnated, 1958 was a year after Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite by the Soviet Union NASA's budget was as low as 0.1% of the US Federal Budget, Dwight D. Eisenhower was a good military leader but as President he seemed lost in space and NASA did not have a clear view of its future. During Apollo and the height of the ColdWar the budget went as high as 4.4% before the Moon landings, however this is seen as unrealistic as NASA the USA was then in a Space-race vs the Soviets to get to the Moon at the height of the ColdWar. Both President Nixon and Ford cut NASA's Budget after JFK's goal was achieved. Some also criticized other Presidents, Bush Snr criticized for setting goals or influence with unreleastic politics, a Mars that would not be done, George H.W. Bush the Space Exploration Initiative was a 1989–1993 space public policy set by 41st President George Bush senior. Bill Clinton would cut NASA, 1993-2001 cut NASA's Budget, having a Colony in Outer Space was not a high priority during the Clinton Gore Administration. NASA’s budget actually decreased during the time that Bill Clinton was president and NASA struggled to carry out an missions on a smaller budget. For the past 10 years NASA's Budget is more or less steady and has been close to half of one percent or 0.48% of the US Federal Budget.
The European space agency often moves with a glacial pace, it a complex multi lingual international multi nation intergovernmental organisation but it has no political backbone for manned space flight. Europe did however do some very good scientific missions, in the past they have done joint missions with the USA, Canada, China, Japan and other nations, contributed to the Hubble Space Telescope the Cassini–Huygens and JWST and the ISS. However today their access to launchers has more or less collapsed, the Ariane 5 is retired, the Vega has a recent glitch and Soyuz has been removed from Kourou a commune in French Guiana, South America. Europe was depending on a waring hostile nation to give them space access, Vladimir Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as has held continuous positions as president or prime minister since year 1999, he has now invaded Urkaine, Russia has been hit with sanctions and Russian dissidents and Western leaders now frequently characterize him as a "dictator", it was foolish for Europe to depend on the Soyuz and other Russian products.
The Russian Space Program seems to be entering a possible collapse, Roscosmos first originating from the Soviet space program founded in the 1950s, they have done MIR Space Stations and Venus missions and after the Fall of the USSR they supported NASA after the loss of the Shuttle. Russia seems to have lost an ability beyond LEO and Russia’s unmanned robot lander crashed the Luna 25 was a Russian lunar lander mission named Luna 25 to emphasize the continuity of the Soviet Luna programme from the 1970s, Russia's focus seems to now be on war and strange religious leaders like Patriarch Kirill describing Putin's rule as "a miracle of God" if Mars were to have a semi-presidential republic similar to that of Russia with tyrants and decay into a state of Civil Conflicts perhaps the Mars Space Agency would also stagnate and maybe go into full collapse.
The future is difficult to predict, will Mars people follow religions, a Technocratic type of 'God' maybe or example there might be a controversy of 'Cults' which rise to prominence as a threat to supplies and Mars Nation Confederation Security or Mars Federal security debate in the economic culture of Martian trade, Mars might go back into a Totalitarian Rule of Communists or Fascists. One issue even for a functional Democratic Mars with resources and supplies might be the hostile take over and the sale of port management to a Company, Nation or Cult that is hostile to Mars or hostile to investors in Mars such as the USA, Canada, Japan, Europe etc the funders might be from a new UFO-cult or Martian crypto religion cult or Moon-god cult and whether such a sale would compromise Mars port security.
One method that seems to work is NASA's Commercialization of Spaceflight, Mas could adapt the Commercial Orbital systems where companies bid for Transportation Systems between Mars, the Moon and Earth and the Asteroids and outer Solar System.
Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-08-20 08:35:21)
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