From Ronald Cook
ronny@tmx.com.au
Raleigh Roark’s mention of The Man Who Sold the Moon
(Letters, 10 January, p 51)
reminds me of Isaac Asimov’s story Buy Jupiter, in which
the human race is offered substantial remuneration by an alien race in exchange
for the planet Jupiter. After some hedging, the aliens admit that this is in
order that they may use it as an advertising billboard.
While some of the members of the human negotiating team are worried about how
the aliens’ competitors may react, they eventually agree to this
proposal—meanwhile planning to license the much more picturesque Saturn to
another alien race.
The remuneration offered was something like an indefinite supply of
humanity’s entire energy needs. I always wondered what they would squeeze out of
the competitors.
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