Subject: Suggestion of Heinlein Prize for Jeff Bezos and Blue OriginDear Heinlein Prize Trust,I would like to suggest Jeff Bezos and his company Blue Origin for your consideration to award them the Heinlein Prize.Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin have been the first to achieve the feat of sending a rocket to space and return it back with a tail-first powered landing -- the very kind of space travel which has been a hallmark of Robert Heinlein's science fiction vision of the future.In the interest of a multi-competitive playing field for advancement of access to space for humankind, I would urge you to see Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin as worthy candidates for recognition by your foundation.Sincerely,...(a fan of space, and fan of of RAH fiction since childhood)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/09/15/jeff-bezos-on-nuclear-reactors-in-space-the-lack-of-bacon-on-mars-and-humanitys-destiny-in-the-solar-system/Washington Post on Bezos acceptance speech.
On what new technologies are needed for deep space travel:“I think NASA should work on a space-rated nuclear reactor. If you had a nuclear reactor in space-- especially if you want to go anywhere beyond Mars, you really need nuclear power. Solar power just gets progressively difficult as you get further way from the sun. And that’s a completely doable thing to have a safe, space-qualified nuclear reactor.”
On living on Mars:“Sometimes my friends say, 'Would you move to Mars?' Not in the near term. Think about it: no whiskey, no bacon, no swimming pools, no oceans, no hiking, no urban centers. Eventually Mars might be amazing. But that’s a long way in the future. This planet is incredible. There are waterfalls and beaches and palm tress and fantastic cities and restaurants and parties and events like this. And you’re not going to get that anywhere but Earth for a really, really long time.”On competing against Musk and other commercial companies:“Competition is super healthy...Great industries are never made by single companies. And space is really big. There is room for a lot of winners...At Blue Origin, our biggest opponent is gravity. The physics of this problem are challenging enough..Gravity is not watching us and saying, ‘Uh-oh those Blue Origin guys are getting really good, I’m going to have increase my gravitational constant.' Gravity doesn’t care about us at all. ”
Who would win an Arthur C. Clarke Award? Or the Isaac Asimov Award?
Bezos says:QuoteOn what new technologies are needed for deep space travel:“I think NASA should work on a space-rated nuclear reactor. If you had a nuclear reactor in space-- especially if you want to go anywhere beyond Mars, you really need nuclear power. Solar power just gets progressively difficult as you get further way from the sun. And that’s a completely doable thing to have a safe, space-qualified nuclear reactor.”
On competing against Musk and other commercial companies:“Competition is super healthy...Great industries are never made by single companies. And space is really big. There is room for a lot of winners...At Blue Origin, our biggest opponent is gravity. The physics of this problem are challenging enough..Gravity is not watching us and saying, ‘Uh-oh those Blue Origin guys are getting really good, I’m going to have increase my gravitational constant.' Gravity doesn’t care about us at all. ”
I agree - space shouldn't be about man against man - it should be about Man vs the Elements or forces of nature.I'd imagine that a spirit of cooperation over competition will be essential for human colonization of outer space.
I suspect the opposite... or at least equal measures of both. As much as idealists want humanity to be different, we are highly motivated by competition and individual achievement. All mankind sharing equally in the benefits/resources of "Outer Space" sounds great but really isn't viable for humanity as it pragmatically (really) exists. Who sticks it out there if achievements (profits, glory, whatever) are going to be equally distributed among the planet's 5B people?
Quote from: AncientU on 09/16/2016 11:11 amI suspect the opposite... or at least equal measures of both. As much as idealists want humanity to be different, we are highly motivated by competition and individual achievement. All mankind sharing equally in the benefits/resources of "Outer Space" sounds great but really isn't viable for humanity as it pragmatically (really) exists. Who sticks it out there if achievements (profits, glory, whatever) are going to be equally distributed among the planet's 5B people?Alright, but there's going to have to be a higher standard of ethics out in space - because what if you came across someone stranded out in space and had to make a choice between saving them versus saving your payload or completing your mission? Hopefully outer space won't become dog-eat-dog, because there's enough threat from the environment itself.