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RE: starship-design: Go Starwisps
I am about to shoot myself in the foot here...
Personally, I would even volunteer to spend the rest of my life on a survey
ship just going from star to star, perhaps not ever returning to Earth in
several human lifetimes. I would even take a one way colony mission if I
KNEW there was habitable real estate at the other end.
I know, I argued vehmenently against one-way missions and the reader
should try to distinguish my personal preferences from what I believe is
realistically possible.
Lee Parker
Have you heard the one about a chemist who was reading a book about helium
and just couldn't put it down?
-----Original Message-----
From: Zenon Kulpa [SMTP:zkulpa@zmit1.ippt.gov.pl]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 1997 8:27 AM
To: starship-design@lists.uoregon.edu
Cc: zkulpa@zmit1.ippt.gov.pl
Subject: Re: starship-design: Go Starwisps
> From: KellySt@aol.com
>
> In a message dated 6/29/97 (Zenon Kulpa) wrote:
>
> [...]
> >Sorry, I would not risk my life with such only theoretically
> >working technology, even with Kelly giving me his word of honor
> >that it will surely work for the whole round-trip...
>
> What choice do you have? If the robots take 16-20 years to report back
> that they made it. By then the ship would be too dated to use.
>
But at least we will have much more real and reliable data
to be more sure the improvements will work too.
> Besides. Just because they made it once. Doesn't mean you, or they,
> will make it the next trip.
>
Of course you are right. But, at least for me, it would be more
convincing that only your word of honor
(no offense intended - I presume you will give it in good faith).
> [...]
> >Personally, I consider just the colonization to be the ultimate practical
> >reason for space exploration (near-sol or interstellar).
>
> Colonies are never made and maintained for in the interest in making
> colonies.
>
So what?
They are made e.g. for reasons of survival...
> >Hence my scenario:
> >- robotis probes (to test adequately the technology and obtain
> > necessary data (necessary for further stages,
> > not for mere scientific curiosity) that are
> > hard to obtain by other means;
> >- one-way, outpost-building missions to selected targets;
> >- if the returns are convincing -- the follow-up colonization missions.
> >
> >If there will be enough people wanting to go there and back again
> >(round-trip enthusiasts), they may go too, why not, provided they find
> >the money (and technology) to build them luxury tourist liners ;-)
> >
> >-- Zenon
>
> Now that would be one hell of a grand tour! ;)
>
Boring, with all this years in black space...
> For only 500 million dollars
> you can really get away from it all!
>
I would rather pay half that (in practice it will cost even less)
and go one-way instead, sparing the rest of my fortune on
materials and equipment needed for building a nice little cottage
over there...
-- Zenon