Socio-economic question

In a message dated 2/3/2012 1:44:34 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
killgore4darkskies@... writes:

Given a colonization mission that is essentially totally divorced from the
homeworld, e.g. somehow a small but viable population made it to Saturn,
or the Oort Cloud, or Lalande 21185 and grew in subsequent decades and
generations how would or could they transition from the crew of
astronauts/cosmonauts/tychonauts with One Ship-One Captain-One Law and The Mission to a
society ?
When and how do the explorers become settlers, and what will the settlers
pass on to their posterity ? I'm recalling Clarke's Songs of Distant Earth,
Poul's New America plus works by Niven, Varley and others.

There is no one set or rules or conditions except intent. Intent also can
be an afterthought. You get to some place and go no further.
What you leave behind also will be guided by intent and accident. For
every group there will be different answers.

John Wayne Smith