Harvey Newstrom wrote:
> I think these two ideas merit further attention. I predict that
> underground or undersea colonies would occur before colonizing other
> worlds. I also think that the technologies developed in these two
> environments would be a precursor to space colonies. These colonists
> would be seen as the forerunners of space colonists. They may even
> invent the technologies required for space colonization, and may
> provide the largest number of space emigrants. Any exports developed
> from these frontiers would be much easier to ship topside for profit.
> We could develop more efficient and more profitable exports later for
> overcoming the long-distance shipping to earth that space colonies
> would encounter.
Playing Devil's Advocate here, but what's the justification?
Off-planet, you can survive if the Earth turns into grey goo. Not so
here. Merely preparing for off-planet has some merit, but not much:
you run into conditions that are neither at your chosen off-planet site
or in normal Earth habitation, and have to waste (from the end goal's
viewpoint) at least some of the effort you spend adapting to them.
Maybe if there were some economic motivation? Say, you find a way to
manufacture stuff, or a kind of therapy, or some mineral extraction,
that can only/best be done at the target site? (The first and third
have to answer why human presence, and not just robot presence, is
necessary; this usually involves something that robots can not do, or
at least not do well given current tech.)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 09:56:34 MDT