He asked his tall uncle, the Giraffe, what made his skin spotty, and his tall uncle, the Giraffe, spanked him with his hard, hard hoof. … And still he was full of ‘satiable curiosity!
The Elephant’s Child, Rudyard Kipling
There have been many discussions of how we might achieve a rocketpunk future, and they mostly centre around the technology, because we are all interested in that, and the economics, because if we want it then it has to be paid for by someone. There’s a point here that no one is talking about, that is in my opinion the elephant in the room. We could be living in a rocketpunk future now. We could start building one tomorrow. What we do not have is the social attitudes that allow us to live in such a future. I think I could live in such a culture, but it would not be cost free. These are the attitudes that make the difference, based on my own observations.
Some people who read this are going to be offended, and take it as an attack on their own social attitudes, which is to say on them. Those people are invited to vent their spleen and get over it, then come back (or don’t, your choice). Don’t bother flaming. I don’t care about your outrage. I’m the Elephant’s Child. I’m still filled with ‘satiable curiosity.
Current attitude: FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. Space travel is enormously dangerous, so we must pay billions of dollars to design a spacecraft, handcraft it to the nth degree, and train the crews for every possible contingency. Loss of life and/or mission failure are totally unacceptable. The tiniest risk of collateral damage is totally unacceptable. Anyone who is party to such an event, person or organization as may be, must be severely and publicly punished. The corollary of this is total control from the ground. If a spacecraft was lost due to crew error, there might be no one to punish, and that is not acceptable either.
Rocketpunk Attitude: SPACE FLIGHT IS THE EQUIVALENT OF WAR. Casualties are inevitable, but the end is worth it. Bury your dead and move on. We will produce our spacecraft to normal standards, and when we lose one we will learn from it and do better. Due diligence to reduce the risk of collateral damage is required, but if it happens, it is part of the price. The social bargain for spacers is the same as for military professionals. This eventually morphs into SPACE FLIGHT IS THE EQUIVALENT OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY.
Current Attitude: NUCLEAR – SHOCK, HORROR!!! Any tampering with things nuclear carries the risk of blowing up the world if not the universe. Nuclear propulsion is totally unthinkable for that reason. Legions of terrorists are slavering for any opportunity to get hold of nuclear material to blow up the world. The least touch of radiation causes you to die a horrible, lingering death. There is no such thing as too much control of things nuclear.
Rocketpunk Attitude: NUCLEAR – SO WHAT? Nuclear is a technology. Use it if it solves the problem. It takes a lot of radiation exposure to make you sick, much less kill you, and a little is good for you. Nuclear fission is safer and cleaner than other energy technologies. Nuclear weapons are hard to build. If crazies get hold of them, we’ll deal with that.
Current Attitude: DO WE REALLY WANNA DO THIS? Politicians: This will change things, probably to my disadvantage. Bureaucrats: This will change things, probably to my agency’s disadvantage. Activist/special interest groups: I want this money now!!! Greek Chorus: Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Rocketpunk Attitude: AD ASTRA! New wealth! New worlds! New opportunity! Manifest destiny demands it! Get out of my way, you miserably unpatriotic coward.
What might it be like to live in a rocketpunk country with these values? Below I have sketched out some possible effects.
Google News Page – Rocketpunk RepublicCrash Investigation Ongoing
The Republic’s Transportation Safety Board issued a statement today concerning the crash of Hypersonic Airlines Flight 787. The Board spokesman first stated that the investigation was continuing and no cause had been determined. They have, however, ruled out engine malfunction. “The Dumbo nuclear ramjet is robust, well understood and well proven through thousands of flight hours. There is no evidence of any malfunction.” In answer to a question from a non-Republican reporter, he stated that they had recommended against any fleet wide grounding of the Republican Aircraft RA-76 or restriction on the operations of Hypersonic Airways. Anonymous sources indicated that pilot error is under consideration as the leading cause.
Freedonian Crisis Response
The Chief Reactionary’s Press Secretary came out with his strongest statement so far in response to the ongoing unrest in Freedonia, which has impacted uranium supplies to the Republic’s industry. “The Chief Reactionary wishes to make it clear to both parties in the dispute that, while their internal politics is their business, he expects that Republic citizens and property will be respected and protected, and that commercial commitments with the Republic will be honoured.” When asked about the possibility of military intervention, he replied “All options are on the table. The situation is being monitored.”
He further stated that security of energy supply is an ongoing problem for the Republic, of which this is the latest chapter, and incentives to the space industry for increased fissionables production are “under serious study.” A military briefer noted that the Republican Sea Guard’s fleet of heavy nuclear hovercraft “can put significant force on the ground very quickly”.
Assembly of Space Station 3
The Sea Dragon III heavy lift launch scheduled for later today will put in place the final module of the massive space station in geosynchronous orbit that will give the Republic’s Comsat Industries the “killer edge” in the multi-hundred billion dollar global bandwidth market. In answer to questions, the CI spokesman stated “Can unmanned satellites do the job? Sure they can. They’ve been doing it for years. We can do it better, cheaper and more reliably. There’s going to be price war, and they can get on board or lose out.” Stocks in the major non-Republic telecom corporations, already in decline, took a sharp dip on the news.
See You In Court, Says Reaction Industries
The lawsuit against Reaction Industries, alleging the loss of a merchant vessel to the impact of the first stage of a Sea Dragon booster, will go to the courts. A settlement meeting today ended with no agreement being reached. The Chief Counsel for Reaction Industries stated briefly “We’ll see them in court.” The shipping company’s statement accused Reaction Industries of “callous disregard for human life.” Independent legal experts agreed that not settling was “a dumb move. They don’t know the Republic’s courts. Stronger cases than theirs are routinely thrown out with costs to the plaintiff.”
Protests on Mars Claim Brushed Off
The Republic’s intent to lay claim to the entire planet of Mars when the Mars Expedition lands to found the new colony has provoked a storm of protests from around the world. “The Republic’s position remains the same. The Mars Colony is a private venture of Republican citizens, under the Republic’s flag and protection, and it is entirely legal under Republic and international law. The Republic is not party to or bound by the treaties that some countries have signed, and has no interest in them.” was the statement from the Chief Reactionary’s Office.
Prior to boarding the shuttle to orbit, the colonists observed a moment of silence for the members of the First Mars Expedition, who were lost with all hands during the Mars landing. Military analysts agree that any effort by other nations to plant a competing colony, much less put a military force on Mars, would take years if not decades. “We already have the infrastructure. They’d have to build the industry to build the capability to get there. Wounded pride isn’t going to sustain that kind of effort.”
Historically, the cultural values of colonies have diverged from that of the mother country, often sharply enough to spark conflict. The American Revolution is one well-known example. The attitudes of a newly independent space polity might well resemble those above. Room for some stories there, such as my own “Expedition”, now out on Kindle.
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