> SpaceX wants to shuttle settlers to Mars for $500,000 a ticket, with loans available that could be worked off.
Woah. From the 15th - 18th century, colonization of the 'New World' was the equivalent of today's space ventures. There were innovations in funding (joint-stock ventures), technology (vessels that could cross dangerous ocean environments & navigation technology), and in the European perspective, a sense of mystery about a voyage into the unknown. It was seen as a way to start life over, and if you couldn't afford to pay the passage (5 pounds in 1650 is roughly $16030 - $307285 today) you would indenture for a master to work off the debt. Sound familiar?