Re: starship-design: my $0.02 (finally)

[KellySt@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/17/97 1:40:14 PM, you wrote:

>> - Therefore, a much more realistic solution for me is
>>   establishing a LONG-DURATION OUTPOST BASE.
>>   That is, it calls for a so-called ONE-WAY mission.
>>   What is a difference, from the point of view of the crew,
>>   between the one-way mission and the colonization mission?
>>   There is a SINGLE difference: there is NO PROCRERATION
>>   on the one-way mission. Only this, nothing more!
>>   Hence, from technical point of view, the one-way mission
>>   is simpler and requires much smaller resources, becoming
>>   feasible in the "early colonization of the solar system" 
>>   conditions outlined above. Technically, the one-way mission:
>>   -- can have much smaller crew (as the questions of genetic diversity
>>      and all sociotechnical specialization variety are absent);

In case someone wanted to know the basics of my side of the Zenon - Kelly one
way mission debate.  In general its political suicied to try to get a one way
flight funded.  To put it mildly openly considering your crews as expendable
resources is a political no-no. Especially when the folks back home get to
watch (or read about) the aging colonists working until they drop to keep the
colony runing, and then dieing when to few of them were around to do enough
work to keep the place going.

Beyond that their are certain practical disadvantages.
  - If you can get them there, its not that much harder to bring the crew
back.

  - After a few years they are going to be learning new research at a lower
and lower rates.  So you might as well bring them (and samples) back until
you can use the lesons learned to send another, better equiped and trained
team.  Assuming the place was interesting enough to spend that much time on.

  - Equiping a ship with the facilities to last for an extra 50 years of time
on station (assuming the crew would last that long) would be harder then
bringing the ship back.

 - Its much harder to get good personel, if the retirement plan is to be
worked to death in a deing ship.

Kelly