But if Abrams pulls it off, and manages to please not only closet Trekkies like us, but the Trekkie nation out there that still goes to conventions… then he will have executed a great coup, indeed. I’m pumped to see what he comes up with.

I hope we see more private groups run by civilians tackling challenges more efficiently, more economically, and with much more style than the government ever could.

Thanks for your thoughts, Ashish. I certainly agree that, generally, $200,000 could be spent in much better ways than on a ticket for a few hours in space. But I would be careful before assuming that all two hundred of the confirmed passengers simply “waste” their money on private leisure.

What if the first in line to get on SpaceShipTwo is Bill Gates, who has not only invested millions of his personal fortune in philanthropy but is also preparing to transition to full-time work with his Foundation? Doesn’t he have the right, especially after having given and continuing to give back to the world, to spend some of his money on one of his own dreams? I know, I know, Bill Gates already has everything he could ever want (except a competitive operating system, but I digress)… but I don’t think he should be stigmatised for using his own resources to achieve one of his own goals, especially after already haven given so much.

I do realize and admit that Gates is an exception among the corporate elite to have been so generous with his money. It could very well be that all two hundred of the confirmed space tourists are miserly old million- and billionaires who have never given to charity, never reinvested in their communities, and just want to take their families into space because they spoil them rotten every chance they get. These people, indeed, should be stigmatised. And I also am not saying that there is a threshold of “enough” giving of one’s self and assets to others, and after that threshold is surpassed then you can start spending your wealth on your recreation. But I think it is hasty to say that anyone who pays $200,000 to go into space is choosing their recreation over their neighbor’s wellbeing. That should be determined on a case-by-case basis.

I understand and appreciate the point that the development of this kind of technology toward more useful ends requires consumers to provide an incentive to entrepreneurs by way of their purchases, but that shouldn’t necessarily stop us from stigmatizing people who put their own pleasure ahead of a greater potential gain to those in their community. And if you are a political liberal who thinks the government should expand its welfare provisions at home and international aid abroad, you should play the role of benefactor to the greatest extent possible before asking the state to compel your fellow citizens to do so through tax burdens they may not want to carry.