Getting to Mars is a technical, logistical, and psychological challenge.  While getting to the Moon may have required no more motivation than nationalism and being able to say “we did it”, Mars will require a more permanent and lasting mechanism.

Europeans bumped into the Americas upon their quest for a quicker trade route with the East Indies.  Their motivation for doing this had almost nothing to do with nationalism, discovery, or any social ideal.  Their motivations were mostly base and selfish. They were seeking profit, power, and gain.  They were capitalists and imperialists.  Upon finding this “new world” they proceeded to colonize and plunder it.

In a parallel to history, I propose that we need to discard our Cold War socialistic behavior of space exploration as an endeavor for the common good and rewrite our destiny bent around the imperialist and capitalist traditions that made Australia, The United States, Canada, Brazil and Argentina what they are today.  An interstellar imperialist view is required for us to truly conquer the heavens.

This deck covers my view.  Called Tyr, I launched an IndieGoGo campaign to get it moving.  Contribute if you can.

So what’s the difference with Tyr’s approach?  How is Interstellar Imperialism different from Cold War Socialist Space Exploration?

Interstellar Imperialism seeks…

• Individual liberty and profit vs collective ownership and control of space assets.
• Space as a place to be conquered and owned vs explored and studied.
• Permanent colonization vs brief visits.
• Existence  vs subsistence
• To transform alien worlds vs accepting them as they are.
• Humans as the dominant life in the universe vs hoping someone else is out there.

Interstellar imperialism vaults humanity into control of this vast and empty place; pushing our will upon this canvas.  Rather than funnel humanity’s interstellar ambitions through select governments and billionaires we should seek technologies and mechanisms that lever us toward conquest.