# Spaceport to be established on Earth. Convince us it belongs in Country X.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 18, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087 "2012-09-18T17:59:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/21 "2012-09-18T21:33:16Z")
Well, I don’t know their technology for getting on and off the planet, but it’s good odds that it would work better at or near the equator. And even if it doesn’t matter for _their_ technology, it certainly does for _ours_: We’d really like to become partners in this enterprise, rather than just subcontractors, as soon as possible. And anywhere we put this thing, even if there aren’t valuable materials or educated workers or whatever there right now, there will be soon: Those things are easy to move, the Equator isn’t.
Now, in principle, governments are just as easy to move around as people and goods, and we could certainly carve out a new polity just for this purpose. But in practice, that can get messy, and it sounds like the aliens would prefer to work within existing structures. So an already-stable nation is, in fact, a better bet than creating a new stable nation.
So we’re looking for a stable nation that lies near the equator. Which means that I’m going to go ahead and nominate France, specifically the portion of that nation in South America. There’s a good reason why the ESA already has their launch facilities in French Guiana.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/22 "2012-09-18T21:39:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Well, I don’t know their technology for getting on and off the planet, but it’s good odds that it would work better at or near the equator. And even if it doesn’t matter for _their_ technology, it certainly does for _ours_: We’d really like to become partners in this enterprise, rather than just subcontractors, as soon as possible.
I think that’s a good argument, as the aliens clearly are looking for partners (or rather proteges who will eventually become partners). But can I trouble you to explain why equatorial locations are better? Some of us are poets rather than ballisticians, after all.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/23 "2012-09-18T21:43:51Z")
Prove an equatorial location superior. That only applies if the aliens have a drive that involves limited reaction mass. Then you need the boost given by the speed of the equator. Otherwise Canada is superior.
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### Author:  [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/24 "2012-09-18T21:59:22Z")
Somalia. Because we don’t know the rules and protocols of this alien civilization so we should ensure they make landfall in a country with neither. No chance of wayward offense starting a Mars Attacks! type situation.
Alternate country: Zimbabwe. Each alien is now automatically a quadrillionaire! Won’t they be happy?
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### Author:  [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/25 "2012-09-18T22:15:46Z")
Rotational spin at the equator is fastest, and that makes it \*very \*slightly easier to get off the ground there.
Cite - my husband, the physics person.
Another vote for French Guiana here, for the same reasons as stated by several people above.
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/26 "2012-09-18T23:10:53Z")
It seems to me that besides a politically stable country, you’d want one that values toleration and has a low rate of violence/homicide, to help prevent potentially disastrous incidents with the aliens. America is a good place for an alien to get shot, frankly. And I bet our large population of Christian fundamentalists would go berserk over aliens, and not in a good way; I was taught as a kid that aliens were Satanic.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/27 "2012-09-18T23:14:27Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> It seems to me that besides a politically stable country, you’d want one that values toleration and has a low rate of violence/homicide, to help prevent potentially disastrous incidents with the aliens. America is a good place for an alien to get shot, frankly. And I bet our large population of Christian fundamentalists would go berserk over aliens, and not in a good way; I was taught as a kid that aliens were Satanic.
Um … you’re only arguing _against_ the US there. Care to speak in FAVOR of a specific country? Austrailia? Brazil? Saudi Arabia? Greece?
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### Author:  [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/28 "2012-09-19T00:04:17Z")
Another vote for French Guiana. Stable government, equatorial location, plenty of space.
But really I want to know why the aliens want a spaceport on earth as opposed to building some kind of space station near to the portal gate or a base on the nearest moonlet or asteroid (or are they doing that as well?). Exactly where is the gate in sol orbit?
What do they actually want from the earth? Some kind of exotic elements as fuel? Cultural exchange? Bulk amounts of water or other raw commodities? A rest and rehab facility?
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/29 "2012-09-19T01:04:46Z")
My suggestion is an uninhabited island unclaimed by any nation. The station and it’s benefits should be for everyone. Any alien with the tech to get here should be able to desalinate water, and the aliens could transport themselves to any nation they might want to vacation in.
StG
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### Author:  [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/30 "2012-09-19T01:07:20Z")
> [@Oakminster](#):
>
> The U.S. is the dominant power on the planet.
By the time ye and me are dead it won’t be. Far better to stick it in India on that basis.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/31 "2012-09-19T01:12:52Z")
Give 'em the required square footage from unclaimed territory in the Antarctic, explaining that it’s land set aside by our world’s governments for international scientific cooperation; thank 'em for the climate-change technology, and tell 'em the lease of the real estate has thus been paid in full.
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/32 "2012-09-19T01:19:38Z")
> [@Diceman](#):
>
> United States: large country with a great deal of influence politically. For all our partisan bitching, we have an extremely stable government that isn’t likely to crumble any time soon (unlike many other nations, where coups and revolutions are quite conceivable, if not a semi-regular occurance.) Lots of open land where a space port could be located without displacing anybody. First-class transportation system to distribute goods to-from the spaceport.
You know, the above covers it.
Except for great hotels.
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### Author:  [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/33 "2012-09-19T02:15:52Z")
Meeya Meefla, aka Miami, or North Australia. Both are somewhat near the equator, in stable, technologically advanced countries, and the Cordwainer Smith allusions are too cool for words.
> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> It seems to me that besides a politically stable country, you’d want one that values toleration and has a low rate of violence/homicide, to help prevent potentially disastrous incidents with the aliens. America is a good place for an alien to get shot, frankly. And I bet our large population of Christian fundamentalists would go berserk over aliens, and not in a good way; I was taught as a kid that aliens were Satanic.
We’d get to watch debates on Youtube between Vulcan biologists and Terran creationists! You know you want to.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/34 "2012-09-19T02:24:21Z")
The US. Specifically, Vegas.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/35 "2012-09-19T02:33:45Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#):
>
> The aliens would like to lease a contiguous space about ten times the area of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport In exchange for regular access to our system, they propose to give humanity technology that will solve our global warming issues. They’ll pay for the lease on the real estate of the spaceport by sharing other advanced technologies with whatever nation provides it.
>
> In case someone insists on knowing the psychology & culture of the aliens, let’s say they’re similar to TOS Vulcans. They can eat our food; they can mate with us (though reproduction requires quite a bit of genetic engineering, and frankly is probably more trouble than its worth); they’re overall quite ethical and a good deal more peaceable than humans.
Long ago I played a Mage game in which I specialized in consorting with animal spirits. At one point I wanted some local seagull spirits to act as spies for me. “What are you offering?” they asked. “Whaddya want?” I answered. The GM steadfastly refused to answer that question\*.
Kind of seems like the same situation here. This is a buyer’s market, in the sense that the aliens get to set the terms. What do they want from the cooperating nation? Do we even have anything they need, other than land? Because every nation has the land, so unless they’re looking for something else, we don’t know how to sell ourselves to them.
The best I can think of is that whole “peaceable” business. In that case, they might want to look for a country with minimal involvement in warfare and with low levels of corruption, on the assumption that they can deal with this government with the best chance of not having it bite them in the ass. New Zealand might win on the corruption measure, according to a 30-second Google, while somewhere like Costa Rica might win on the military measure, according to a 20-year-old half-remembered factoid from Spanish 4 class in high school.
I really don’t think the US would be the way to go for an alien civilization looking to give a government high tech that won’t be misused.
- turns out my guess of fish-heads was right.
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### Author:  [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/36 "2012-09-19T03:00:18Z")
> [@coffeecat](#):
>
> Meeya Meefla, aka Miami, or North Australia. . .
Otherwise known as Aoujou Nambien…
> [@](#):
>
> . . . the Cordwainer Smith allusions are too cool for words.
T’Ruth!
> [@](#):
>
> We’d get to watch debates on Youtube between Vulcan biologists and Terran creationists! You know you want to.
Heaven above, that would be delightful! I’d pay money!
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### Author:  [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/37 "2012-09-19T05:46:22Z")
Does Brazil not qualify as a wealthy, stable, large equatorial nation? They’re attractive enough to land the olympics and the world cup. Why not a spaceport? I’d rather they have it than China.
Also, underpopulated isn’t really much of an issue is it? I would imagine there would be a LOT of willing immigrants the world over to work at an intergalactic spaceport.
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### Author:  [@Mnemnosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mnemnosyne)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/38 "2012-09-19T06:13:49Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#):
>
> Give 'em the required square footage from unclaimed territory in the Antarctic, explaining that it’s land set aside by our world’s governments for international scientific cooperation; thank 'em for the climate-change technology, and tell 'em the lease of the real estate has thus been paid in full.
You know, I get the feeling that war (between nations) could result with any resolution other than this one.
Any country that gets it means a lot of other countries angry that they didn’t, and afraid that the country that did will soon dominate them with the advanced technology they get from the aliens. There would at the very least be a significant portion of almost any government advocating going to war with whatever country won the bid, unless the aliens are also providing a promise of protection for the host nation.
I could definitely see factions in the US, Russian, and Chinese governments all being of the sentiment that it would be better to blow up the other country rather than let them get advanced alien technology ahead of ‘us’. Whether these factions would succeed in actually enacting such a war is anyone’s guess, but there would almost certainly be some people wanting it.
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### Author:  [@Remember\_me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Remember_me)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/39 "2012-09-19T06:34:22Z")
You’re looking for a stable and neutral country?
My vote would be for Switzerland. I am actually surprised, that no one has offered it before. Sure, they would have to look hard for the required space for the spaceport, but it is not, that people can’t be forced to moved to make room for the construction of important infrastructure.
But if you want stability and neutrality, than you can’t ignore Switzerland.
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### Author:  [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2012, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceport-to-be-established-on-earth-convince-us-it-belongs-in-country-x/635087/40 "2012-09-19T06:45:27Z")
> [@Yarster](#):
>
> The area around Northern Australia is too underpopulated to have the educated workforce nearby that will be needed and doesn’t have the transportation infrastructure in my opinion.
You could park it right next to Pine Gap then the yanks could keep an eye on it.
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