I Can't Believe They Want to Mine the Moon

In the great story of the privatization of all Americans services industries, we tend to pay more attention to things like health care and prisons. But a bit more than a year ago, the administration began budgeting to privatize space flight: “Obama’s plan calls for funneling money to private companies that are jockeying for NASA contracts,” is how that was described. And now here they are, getting their cash: six companies have gotten $30 million each, including new startup “Moon Express,” which apparently wants to help people go mine the moon. They basically think they can go dig platinum out of the moon, and I feel like I have already seen this dystopia. I know that many of us have some really negative feelings about the moon but I’m pretty sure we’ll miss it (and/or “tides”) when it’s gone.