why outer space?

This is a very relevant question that is worthy of discussion.

The challenges of colonizing semi-arid regions, or on an ocean, are
very similar to the challenges that we must master in a space colony:

1) Water conservation and recycling,
2) Using a greenhouse to grow food, and learning how to deal with
plant diseases.
3) Recycling everything,
4) Building and living in possibly tight quarters,
5) Dealing with social issues from crimes to jail, and drugs, etc.
6) Who owns what? Do we use shares to accumulate wealth of the
colony? Can a share be sold to anyone?
7) Air conditioning,
8) Practical solar energy, wind energy, etc. Naturally, electricity
and fuel from outside sources should not be needed.
9) Fabrication of recyclable building materials from readily
available materials.
10) Growing of protein. How will a balanced diet be achieved? Will
the colonists be vegitarians?

Curiously, solutions to the above all have applications to societies
living on earth as well as future colonists.
Savage, in his book Thge Millenium Project(i.e. How to Colonize the
Galaxy in eight easy steps) describes the creation of space colonies
on earth (i.e. Aquarius)as an essential first step.

I would like to add that if OceanTemp generators are not able to
generate sufficient energy, then we should consider the use of
fission reactors fueled from either the world-wide glut of uranium or
uranium extracted from the ocean which has already been demonstrated
in Japan. The ocean is an ideal place to locate a well engineered
nuclear power plant, and lots of electrical power will be needed to
build a colony at sea and to power the lasers needed to achieve
significantly lower costs to achieve LEO again as described by Savage.

Cheers,

Tom Tucker
Olympia WA USA

--- In spacesettlers@y..., skywise372@y... wrote:
> What are the advantages of populating space as apposed to
populating
> some of the less hospitable regions of the earth (the deserts, the
> poles, and the deep sea for example)? I mean at least most of
these
> places have oxygen, an atmosphere to protect them from asteroids,
and
> they are much closer so you don't need to buy an expensive rocket
to