A Different Race: The Philosophy

The infrastructure of a nation is the foundation of the nation's ability to compete in world markets, maintain a credible deterrence, influence other nations, and create surpluses for use in social programs. Part of the infrastructure that a nation will depend on economically and militarily in the 21st century will be located in space. Space, besides being an economic, technical, and strategic opportunity for various companies and countries, can also be a way to use engineering and technology to improve the condition of the human race. This paper explains a strategy for reprogramming money from the development and deployment of strategic offensive weapons and their delivery systems to developing the facilities and capabilities needed for nations to be active participants in the exploration and industrialization of space. The creation of the infrastructure needed to pioneer the space frontier will require all engineering professions, especially civil engineering, to stretch and reach for the stars.