Long-term planning (an unfortunate lack, thereof)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The cost of containers is a lot cheaper than the cost of terraforming
and can be done a lot more quickly.

Terrafroming will not happen within my lifetime, or even for several
generations.

It is so long term and hypothetical I really do not see any point in
discussing it.

I am interested in practical projects to get us out there as quickly as
possible.

I would rather visit a container space colony today, or at least within
my lifetime, than dream about a terraform planet I will never see.

The general public has a good comfort zone for flying in pressurized
aircraft, so I really do not see container colonies as something people
will regard as unsafe. In fact, they will be safer than commercial
aircraft today for several reasons.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Some good points. Having said that, one of the greatest problems that
human beings face, is the inability to think beyond their own life times.
One of the attributes that made the Japanese so successful, was their
ability to work towards a goal that would take more than 5 years to fulfil.
Accepting that a goal will take more than 5 years to achieve, but still
being willing to work hard towards that goal, enormously increases your
chances of success. In my limited experience, most Americans and Europeans,
have little care for what happens when they are gone from the world. This
attitude
is a bad one. It encourages pollution and abuse of all people and things
around them.

We are all guilty of displaying this unfortunate trait.
But it helps to remember, that 70% of what we discuss on this list,
will not come to pass before we are all very old men. I am 22 years old
and I do not expect that an island-one colony will be built before I hit
sixty. But I know that my young son may very well live in an island-one
habitat.
The difficulties associated with raising large amounts of finance, tend to
make such ventures long-term projects. This is not to say that they are not
worthy of attention. Most people on this list have children who will
DEFINITELY
be able to watch the construction of island-one colonies and will probably
live in them.

Tony