Re: from 6 billion to 500 million: how?

From: Spike Jones (spike66@attglobal.net)
Date: Mon Feb 05 2001 - 23:32:20 MST


John Marlow wrote:

> My point?... It's expensive. Deal with it. (And not by launching
> dismembered astronauts to save weight.)

How about humans genetically modified to 10 kg? Humans
have genetically modified poodles and chihuahuas (~4kg) from
wolves (~50 kg). Similarly domestic cats from the wild variety.
No, forget it, unethical. Damn. Those born tiny would not be
volunteers. We can use only volunteers.

This is a perplexing problem. As John Marlow pointed out,
governments wont pay for a Mars mission. I will see his won't,
and raise him a shouldn't. Governments *shouldnt* do this kinda
thing. Governments should do only that which must be done,
yet cannot be done individually. A Mars mission fails to meet
the 'must be done' criterion.

So, that goes right back to private funding, which can be raised
only if there is some way to earn the money back, which leads
to tiny single astronauts because we only have funds for one
launch vehicle, outrageously high risk and attemtps to earn back
the money by selling the astronaut's email. Most people find
one or more of these results distasteful or unacceptable. What
am I missing in this analysis? spike



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