RE: starship-design: Re: Why go to the stars? - Lee

["L. Parker" <lparker@cacaphony.net>]

Timothy,

Yes, I understood what you were getting at. There are probably a great many 
possible reasons for different groups to choose to go to the stars (whether or 
not they can get back). 

Lee

-----Original Message-----
From:	Timothy van der Linden [SMTP:TLG.van.der.Linden@tip.nl]
Sent:	Friday, July 04, 1997 11:11 AM
To:	starship-design@lists.uoregon.edu
Subject:	starship-design: Re: Why go to the stars? - Lee


I understood it was an example (I wonder whether other more rational groups
could collect that much money though).

I believe your main point was to say that going to the stars was needed to
get freedom. I tried to explain, why I thought that going to the stars to
get freedom seemed to be the most expensive option of several others.
(Eg. building a large spacestation or going to Mars may do the same)

After that I tried to give another reason for going to the stars, namely to
get a different worldview and to get into a hard environment (from where you
can't easely escape). My guess was that the latter two may spark development
and inventiveness.

Timothy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW TO COOK AN EGG -- Physics Edition

"If you tie one of these eggs to the end of a string and whirl it round 
rapidly, and suddenly stop, the movement may perhaps be converted into heat, 
and then . . ." 

"And then the egg will be cooked?" 

"Yes, if the rotation has been swift enough. But how do you get the stoppage 
without breaking the egg?" 

-- Jules Verne, The School for Crusoes