Space Exploration and Money Mechanics: An Evolutionary Challenge

Abstract

In order to invent, develop, and build the technology of space, now and in the future, we need billions and billions of dollars to finance a massive research, innovation, and development drive. I argue that humanity's space potential is closely tied to humanity's financial wisdom, such that travel into deep space may very well be possible after we have transformed our current money creation methodologies. Current money mechanics is founded on debt and credit. A debt based monetary architecture chains the species to calendar time payments, and thus makes the financing of space projects challenging given the time pattern of future expected cash flows and the immeasurable risks involved. In fact, interstellar travel poses a challenge to the very principles of financial valuation theory and practice, i.e., time value of money and risk and return. In other words, there is no identifiable discount rate for building starships. Thus, the creation of future space infrastructure may require some form of public debt-free financing. The recently announced 40 billion dollar monthly injections of new money by the Federal Reserve into the banking system are being executed via the purchase of mortgage backed securities from the banks. As the creators of money, we are and should be in a position to design and implement an alternative financial product, just as valid as a mortgage backed security, that will channel at least one of Fed's next monthly injections into space exploration and NASA. This is possible through Public Capitalization Notes, which facilitate debt free money injection into real projects. We may need to transform money mechanics before we can reach deep space, and Curiosity on Mars in the midst of a financial turmoil lights the path to human creativity.