SPACE GREED

Space is home to crucial resources important discoveries and big potential profit. But will outer space become a place where billionaires and mega-corporations operate above and out of the reach of the law?

Human needs have always created opportunities for human greed. And energy might be the most crucial need of all. What if one day an ambitious corporation was able to control the sun would we end up paying a subscription fee for sunlight?

Once we’ve managed to get a handle on building structures to help us live on the harsh dangerous surfaces of other celestial bodies -- why stop there? What’s to stop us from trying to change entire planets to suit our needs?

There are only a handful of rocket launches every year. But that’s going to change. And each rocket that gets fired off has an impact on the atmosphere. Will Earth be able to survive hundreds or even thousands of fuel-burning rocket launches every year?

The moon is rich in rare earths metals and the highly sought-after isotope -- Helium 3. With NASA planning to make a manned return trip to the moon by 2024 how long until some giant corporation turns moon dust into a cosmic-sized payday?

It happened once and it took out the dinosaurs and it's only a matter of time before it happens again. The next time another huge space rock jeopardizes Earth will private space companies and their advanced expensive and reusable spacecraft be enough to save the day?

Sci-Fi has always shocked audiences with images of powerful aliens invading and destroying Earth. But as we set out to explore the universe ourselves what if WE are actually the invasive alien species?

We're going to run out of crucial resources and materials. It's only a matter of time. The asteroids flying through our solar system contain tons and tons of precious metals stones and more. Are the astronomical profits from mining asteroids all hype?

We’ve come a long way from the paranoia and fears of the Cold War but the prospect of war in space is still real. In this episode we explore all the ways in which wars in space might be fought and who stands to make a pretty penny developing space-age weaponry.

For the first 50 years of spaceflight most nations broadly agreed that space was our common heritage that it belonged to everybody. But with ambitious entrepreneurs and big potential paydays on the horizon the next 50 years will be a complicated legal problem to solve.

Some billionaires have suggested that moving toxic or pollution-heavy industries to space is a potential means of protecting our fragile planet. But is that even a viable solution in the short term?

Cowboy hat-wearing billionaires have noble reasons for their multi-billion dollar investment in space exploration but it’s hard to ignore how much money they stand to make.

Our long-term survival on this planet depends on advanced satellites keeping us connected and keeping an eye on the Earth from orbit. The unique perspective offered by satellites allows us to track the weather and find hidden freshwater and other crucial resources.

Between advanced satellites and tons of precious resources the future of space exploration looks to be highly profitable. But as space entrepreneurs lead the charge into space will the historically collaborative nature of space exploration ever shift into something more cutthroat?

The unique properties of space make it ideal for some world-changing and unique scientific experiments. Every project experiment and mission carried out up there has the potential to advance human development.

The unique properties of space make it ideal for some world-changing and unique scientific experiments. Every project experiment and mission carried out up there has the potential to advance human development.

As private space entrepreneurs develop super-fast propulsion systems it might one day be possible for a corporation to take full advantage of the time-bending science of special relativity.

Resources are tight in space. Everything that goes up there has mass and therefore a cost. That kind of restriction has inspired scientists to develop super-efficient living quarters for astronauts.

The internet changed the world when it connected people around the globe. But today in many parts of the world a strong stable internet connection is still a luxury. Several space entrepreneurs and giant corporations are developing advanced networks of satellites.

Scientists are developing strange cutting-edge ways to use naturally occurring resources like space rocks and astronaut blood to make deep space missions or long-term space colonies possible.