We could have human intelligence in orbit around Mars, building things there.
I've always thought space station is a great name. It should be like a gas station where we go for service and supplies before heading further out.
Building one space station for everyone was and is insane: we should have built a dozen.
In the long term, space resources could lead to a thriving new space economy and human expansion into the solar system.
To allow public access to orbit, we would need breakthroughs that would lower the cost by a lot more than an order of magnitude and increase safety by a factor of 100 as compared to every launch system used since the first manned space flight. I think airborne launch will be a significant part of the safety solution.
If you have a Falcon Heavy, and you have a Dragon, and you have a Bigelow module, then all of a sudden, life gets interesting.
Nightside, cities glistened in chains, and a spray of tinkertoy habitats girdled the planet. Gossamer starbridges reached from the equator towards orbit.
The space elevator will be built about 50 years after everyone stops laughing.
Shortly afterwards, I did a third one to repair the robotic arm of the station. This arm plays a very important role in the ongoing expansion of the station as well as in the deployment of solar panels.
We endorse Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos' vision of 'millions of people living and working in space' - this is the heart and soul of the NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement.
