Monitoring

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, sraj wrote:
> Hi Bill,
>
> It is really doubtful that colonization of space will progress in
the same way as colonization of America. A person from Europe or
China or India can migrate to USA and feel more or less at home
there. This will not be the case when an Earthling tries to migrate
to one of the space colonies; the difference in gravity, the
scenery, the required lifestyle will 'do him in', and more likely
than not he will catch the first shuttle back home.
>

It won't be for the faint of heart.

> It is more likely that space will be colonized by people who
consider it as home, those who have no idea what Earth is like. So
Space is going to remain forever alien to Earthlings. The question
of Earthlings ruling any colony will not arise since it is unlikely
that they will have any desire to rule it. Much like humans trying
to rule the world under the sea - a tough task indeed!
>

We do rule the world under the sea. I cannot recall of a single
time when a great white whale or a giant squid took down a nuclear
submarine.

> So a good way to put colonization of space on a fast track is to
do it bottoms up rather than top-downwards. What we should do is
select four married couples - without kids - to be the first
pioneers. The couples will have to be selected very carefully, they
must be tough, independent, resourceful, scientifically well
trained. Probably one out of 10,000 humans may qualify the
psychological test...... If the idea is to start the colony on Mars;
get them there, give them the basic necessities (no five star
facilities please), have the necessary evacuation plan in place so
that they can be evacuated in case of a dire emergency: leave them
to fend for themselves, with technical support, of the type they ask
for from time to time to be provided from Earth. What will they do
there? Nothing fancy, they will do what migrating people have always
done on Earth. Mainly grow the food to feed themselves, expand their
dwelling, bring up families, etc.
>

How about a realty-TV show: send 16 people to the moon, each week
someone gets voted out the airlock...

> Such a plan will be cheaper, since it will build up from a basic
minimum, depending more on the ingenuity of the pioneers for
success. It will also have the element of daring and romance to
garner public support.
>
> Selvaraj.

I agree that getting private enterprise involved would be more
economical than if government would go it alone; however, I do not
share your vision of a small settlement growing by reproduction
alone.

Instead I see the private sector's involvement in NASA's new mission
in a different light, as subcontractors. NASA needs detailed high-
resolution maps of certain areas of the moon? Offer 20 million for
the first company to supply the maps. NASA needs a CEV? Have them
put out the basic specs (mass, dimensions, number of passengers etc)
and buy from whomever meets the specs. Jeff Foust had more to say
along these lines in the Space Review today:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/109/1

Ed

>
> From: Bill
> To: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 3:32 AM
> Subject: [spacesettlers] Re: Monitoring
>
> >
> > If, however, a space liner is out of the question because of
such
> > securety measures as you think might be implemented, then,
being a
> > desparate nutty guy bent on destruction, you might go for an
old
> > Apollo-like buggy and just parachute the nasty package, right?
> >
> > But it seems at the start the asteroids might pose a greater
risk
> > than the nukes don't you think?
> >
> > My guess is that developing a nuke device would probably take
a bit
> > longer than learning how to maneuver an asteroid.
> >
>
> I think everyone is really missing a point here. Its not the
crazies
> the governments of earth have to worry about, its the legitamate
> authorities. After fifty or sixty years of rule from Earth,
renegade
> colonies might decide to form their own United States of Space,
and
> when the people who will lose trillions through confiscation, or
> destruction will have nothing to threaten a colony that can bomb
earth
> to the stone age because it controls space, while the earth
> authorities will be unable to get the missles off the ground.
>
> Every colony the human race has ever created has revolted. The
space
> colonies being completely independant, and completely
invulnerable,
> while controlling weapons that could make the human race extinct
would
> become very powerful very quickly over shadowing the earth
governments.
>
> Bill
>
of Service.