Speculative Fiction Gives Way to Potential Fact

 I just read an article that Arwa Mahdawi wrote for The Guardian entitled "Privatising the moon may sound like a crazy idea but the sky’s no limit for avarice." Since there is no biographical capsule for her, it is difficult for me to establish the context for this position piece. Those of my generation with an interest in science fiction, on the other hand, are likely to encounter a chilling similarity with what Robert Heinlein envisaged at the end of the Forties, when he wrote the novella The Man Who Sold the Moon. In my case that happened to be my first encounter with Heinlein, which would ultimately lead to my taking a deep dive into his entire series of "future history" narratives.

The fact is that "vulture capitalism" figures throughout the entire series. However, The Man Who Sold the Moon was written at a time when real estate capitalism was "on a roll" by way of providing housing that would be affordable for our military forces after they had returned from Europe and Asia while also providing generous slices of the pie to the providers. Mind you, I am not taking Mahdawi to task for not citing Heinlein in her article. However, I would recommend her setting aside some time for the entire "future history" cycle to see what other fictional projections are beginning to bounce of factual reality.