Erika Nesvold. Off-Earth. Ethical questions and quandaries for living in outer space.

     It is good that some people think about these problems. But the more I read about space colonies, the more I doubt their viability. All that Erika writes about their potential problems suggests to me that the best solution (who owns what, how environment is shared and protected, who can have kids, who receives scarce medical care) for the management of the space colonies is totalitarian rule. Furthermore, in conditions that all resources are strictly rationed, the emergence of totalitarianism is inevitable. And this is not a pleasant option. One of the reason for extreme unpleasantness of totalitarian rule is that it needs periodic lethal intimidation of the populace for its reinforcement. The attempt of Soviet rulers to dispense with random terror after Stalin resulted in collapse of the state.