From: John Grigg (starman2100@lycos.com)
Date: Sun Apr 20 2003 - 01:27:01 MDT
Adrian Tymes wrote:
All cards on the table: the reason I was musing about
this in the first place was thinking about the worst
case scenarios for a lunar colony. An outbreak of
armed violence, or an armed invasion, would certainly
be bad, but it is perhaps not as likely as certain
more technical problems, like life support malfunction.
Still, it was interesting to think how a military used
to Earth conflicts would even go about assaulting a
single giant underground building, assuming it was
self-sufficient enough they could not simply siege it
(which would necessitate underground power plants -
lunathermal, if that would be viable, otherwise
nuclear - so the invaders could not simply deactivate
the solar power plants feeding the colony), and the
colony did not have space defenses enough to destroy
any unidentified incoming vehicle (which would itself
be an undesirable outcome, but that's another
scenario).
> What do the rest of you think?
The classic Robert Heinlein novel "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is a great take on such a scenario. I would like to see it made into a quality film someday.
I recently bought the book "A Specter is Haunting Texas" by Fritz Leiber. This satire has a exoskeleton suit wearing man from a station in orbit around the moon, visiting the postapocalyptic earth where only "Greater Texas" remains of the United States. He finds the Texans have taken hormones to become giants and lord it over their Mexican servant class. The main character in time decides to take up the cause as their leader in a rebellion.
I have not read it yet, but plan to soon. The novel was written in 1968, but sadly some of the racism & inequality which may have inspired the writing of the book as a protest are still very alive and well in at least some parts of the southwest.
John
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