science

Space trade

Space trade is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Space trade rather than just read about it. In short: Space trade or space commerce is trade or commerce that involve space travel in the context of space colonization. A motivator for colonization of Mars Several people have considered trade within the Solar System as one of the ways in which the colonization of Mars is both important and can be made self-sufficient.

Key takeaways

Space trade belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Space trade to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Space trade from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Space trade or space commerce is trade or commerce that involve space travel in the context of space colonization.

A motivator for colonization of Mars Several people have considered trade within the Solar System as one of the ways in which the colonization of Mars is both important and can be made self-sufficient. Robert Zubrin, of Lockheed Martin Astronautics, in a paper on the economic viability of colonizing Mars, puts forward interplanetary trade as one way in which a hypothetical Martian colony could become rich, pointing out that the energy relationships between the orbits of Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt place Mars in a far better position for involvement in any future asteroid mining trade than Earth. Jim Plaxco, in a paper putting forward the case for colonizing Mars, mentions that Phobos and Deimos can be developed, in the long term, from being short-term testbeds for the techniques of asteroid mining and staging posts for colonization of Mars itself, into key trading posts in interplanetary trade, again because of their favourable position within the Solar System.

Issues It is theorized that if different locations within the Solar System become inhabited by humans, they would need to transport valuable resources between different planets, moons and asteroids. The asteroid belt is theorized to become a source of valuable ores that may develop into industrial asteroid mining infrastructure, whereas Earth may export hi-tech production. The factor of energy-efficiency of interplanetary transportation may become very important to estimate economic value of a trade route. John Hickman identified the principal obstacle to developing space trade as the distances involved, which will reduce all or nearly all trade to the exchange of intangible goods. That threatens the possibility of conducting business in a genuinely common currency and of enforcing debt agreements incurred by governments.

Commercial spaceports

Building high-capacity commercial spaceports may require connection with other modes of transportation, such as railroad or sea, which would make spaceports another dimension of national economy. One analysis of commercial, technical, and logistical concerns for an operating spaceport, formulated by the Spaceport Technology Development Office of NASA, is Vision Spaceport.

Professional humor The 1978 text The Theory of Interstellar Trade by Nobel Prize winner in economics Paul Krugman was described by the author as something he wrote to cheer himself up when he was an "oppressed assistant professor" caught up in the academic rat race. Responding to Kugman's paper, the economist Tyler Cowen speculated on how time travel affects time preference discounting. In 2009, Adam Chodorow, professor of law at the Arizona State University, published an article in the section "Tax Humor" that "seeks to expand on Krugman’s seminal work — and establish my claim to a Nobel Prize — by considering whether income earned in flight should be subject to the federal income tax".

See also Helium-3 (although it cannot currently be exploited as an energy source, that may change in the future if fusion power is developed) Space-based solar power Space manufacturing International Institute of Space Commerce

References

Further reading Bryce Walden; Cheryl Lynn York; Thomas L. Billings & Robert D. McGown (2001-11-30). ""As long as we're here...": Secondary Profit Generators for Moon and Mars Bases" (PDF). Space 2002 and Robotics 2002: 495. Bibcode:2002spro.conf..495W. Edward L. Hudgins (2002-12-01). Space: The Free-market Frontier. Cato Institute. ISBN 1-930865-18-X. Joseph A. Angelo (2003-06-30). Space Technology (Sourcebooks in Modern Technology). Greenwood Press. pp. 285. ISBN 1-57356-335-8.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Space trade

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Space trade claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Space trade before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Space trade ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Space trade

In research: Space trade appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Space trade in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Space trade is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Space-based economy, Spaceflight economics, Trade, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Space trade outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Space trade in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Space trade means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Space trade out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Space trade in simple terms?

Space trade or space commerce is trade or commerce that involve space travel in the context of space colonization. A motivator for colonization of Mars Several people have considered trade within the Solar System as one of the ways in which the colonization of Mars is both important and can be made…

Why does Space trade matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Space trade?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Space trade.