Interstellar travel

--- In spacesettlers@y..., "Dr. Omni" wrote:
> From: "John Wheeler"
>
> [snikt]
>> Just like lots more people came over to America from Europe via
>> steam powered ships than on the Mayflower. But the countries like
>> Germany and Italy who waited until steam ships were available
>> before starting their colonization efforts found that all the good
>> spots were taken.

> This historical precedent is not appliable to interstellar travel
> simply because the number of "good spots" is basically unlimited.

The number of good spots is basically unlimited? I won't argue with
that. The reason? Because you happen to be right (which should be a
good enough reason).

> Suppose that, along 500 years, a first wave of "slow" interstellar
> colonists settles in all the planetary systems in a radius of 50
> light-years.

And in 500 years, they're not going to learn to go faster than 0.1C?

> Then, someone at Sol discovers a practical way to do faster-than-
> light or relativistic travel. After that, in only, say, 100 years,
> a second wave of "fast" colonists could settle in all the systems
> in the layer from 50 to 100 light years. Since this second layer
> has a volume seven times larger than the first one, it probably has
> seven times more "good spots" than the first one - and the "fast"
> colonists would not be beated simply because they departed later.

Well, yeah, IF the second wave developes something much faster than
the first, and IF that discovery is made at Sol and not, say, at
Sirius. And IF you don't mind having to travel 50 LY (in ANY
direction) before finding something you can call yours, and yours
alone. Whereas the guys on the frontier need only move out another 2
to 5 LY. That said, wasn't the idea that the fast guys would start
out first (fast as in anything over 0.5C), and that the slow guys
would comet-hop, waiting perhaps 100,000 years before making the
first interstellar trip?

>> --JohnWheeler
> [snikt]

> --LucioCoelho

Xenophile