Ruminations

Pres･tige

Noun - widespread respect and admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of a perception of their achievements or quality.

Rock･et Sci･ent･ist

Noun - the science of designing or building rockets. Also - something that is very difficult to learn or understand.

The concept of prestige is one that denotes a widespread admiration and respect that is felt for a person or object on the basis of their perceived achievements or qualities. Similarly, the term rocket scientist refers to the field of designing or building rockets, which is often seen as a difficult and complex task.

However, when we associate these terms with space exploration and technology development, we run into a problem. The fact that these phrases are commonly associated with the space industry suggests that we have not yet progressed enough to become a truly space-faring species. Instead, space is still seen as something that is exclusive to a select few, such as governments and the ultra-rich.

If we want to make space accessible to everyone, we need to move away from the notion that building rockets and infrastructure in space is a prestigious and difficult feat. Instead, we need to view it as a common and everyday task, much like building a car. Although building a car is undoubtedly a difficult task, it is so intrinsic to our lives that we do not associate it with prestige or difficulty.

In the early 1900s, building cars was seen as a bespoke and prestigious industry. However, through standardization and mass production, the industry matured and became commonplace. This is where we need to get to with the space industry. Although it will undoubtedly remain a difficult task to build rockets, satellites, platforms, and stations, we need to standardize and create economies of scale so that space travel becomes a common and everyday occurrence.

The ultimate goal is to make space accessible to everyone on the planet. This will require significant investment and the creation of true mass production, but we are walking the path towards achieving this goal. Although it may take many years, we are making progress towards a future where space travel is commonplace and accessible to all.

I strive to see the day when the prestige is no longer associated with building the components to travel and live in wspace, thus making humanity a true space-faring species.

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