The Endless Frontier

I recently read an article (or set of mini-articles) about the must-visit places of 2012 on the New York Times webpage because I was curious to see some of the interesting, exotic places listed.  I saw some pretty cool locations like Panama, Chilean Patagonia, and Tibet.  I also saw some places that I wouldn't regularly expect to be there like Oakland and San Diego, California.  What truly came as a complete shocker, however, was to see both space and Antarctica on the list.

It's true, if you have enough money you can hitch a ride out of Earth's atmosphere to view the planet that has housed the only life humans have ever known from the vantage point of an astronaut.  You can also vacation in frigid, barren Antarctica alongside international scientists and researchers (again, if you have the cash).  Despite the amount of moolah spent on each of these excursions ($200,000 to go to space and ranging from about $8,500 to about $74,000 to visit Antarctica in style), it is pretty amazing that these opportunities are available.

People never want to stop exploring and this is a true testament to that.  If wealthy, yet relatively inexperienced people can go to space, what will regular joes be able to do fifty years from now?  Virgin Galactic, the company that is planning to take flights into space, says it, "will establish its headquarters and operate its space flights from Spaceport America, the world's first purpose built commercial spaceport which is now under construction."  I find it somewhat sci-fi-esque and almost comical that this company would put their headquarters at something called a "Spaceport".  It just seems somewhat surreal.  One of the prominent clients of Virgin Galactic is Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group (go figure) a British-based venture capital company.  On Virgin Galactic's website Branson said, "We are here with a group of incredible people who are helping us lead the way in creating one of the most important new industrial sectors of the 21st century."

Branson is a business mogul, a man whose livelihood is based on capital gain and business expansion.  So I see his point in promulgating a "new industrial sector" in the form of space-based tourism.  Yet I cannot help but look at this enterprise or the affluent business in Antarctica run by White Desert with a bit of cynicism.  With all of the strife and struggle in the world today, why would anyone need to luxuriate in Antarctica's frozen desert or Earth's atmospheric fringes?

It seems to be a constant drive by humans to discover, experience, and feel more.  We're never simply content with where we are, we need something more, and I understand this yearning for adventure due to how I have it myself.  That's actually why it surprised me that both of these companies are primarily British-based; America is more often connoted with being a progressive, next-best-thing type of country.  No matter who innovates first, is it right to constantly advance society for the wealthy demographic while not focusing so much on those who need more basic necessities or should we let those who can and want to do something do what they want?  Or should a healthy balance be struck?