SPACE GREED

Space is home to crucial resources, important discoveries, and big potential profit; examining whether outer space could become a place where billionaires and mega-corporations operate above and out of the reach of the law.

Human needs have always created opportunities for human greed. And energy might be the most crucial need of all. What if one day an ambitious corporation was able to control the sun, would we end up paying a subscription fee for sunlight?

Once we’ve managed to get a handle on building structures to help us live on the harsh, dangerous surfaces of other celestial bodies -- why stop there? What’s to stop us from trying to change entire planets to suit our needs?

There are only a handful of rocket launches every year. But that’s going to change. And each rocket that gets fired off has an impact on the atmosphere. Will Earth be able to survive hundreds, or even thousands, of fuel-burning rocket launches every year?

The moon is rich in rare earths, metals, and the highly sought-after isotope -- Helium 3. With NASA planning to make a manned return trip to the moon by 2024, how long until some giant corporation turns moon dust into a cosmic-sized payday?

It happened once and it took out the dinosaurs and it’s only a matter of time before it happens again. The next time another huge space rock jeopardizes Earth, will private space companies and their advanced, expensive, and reusable spacecraft be enough to save the day?