RE: starship-design: Numbers needed for Colonization

[Bjorn Nilsson <f96bni@student.tdb.uu.se>]

On Mon, 11 May 1998, Bjorn Nilsson wrote:

> 
> I relize that theese coments MAY be a little late...
> (I was home sick, all of last week.)
> 
> But anyway, here goes...
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, 30 Apr 1998, Kelly St wrote:
> > 
> > In a message dated 4/29/98 4:49:47 AM, guderiak@hotmail.com wrote:
> > 
> > >Hi Bjorn,
> > >
> > >>And YES a planet is maybe NOT neccesary for the colony to survive, but 
> > >it
> > >>probably IS neccisary for the endevour to make "economic sense" even in
> > >>the long run. (If the target star system doesn't have planetary bodies 
> > >you
> > >>wanna exploit, why go there???)
> > >==> A very, very good idea...
> > 
> > We never could come up with a reason for a colony.  Resources are more
> > plentiful and easy to get to in space, and the danger of an ecology is less.
> > But, this solar system is rich in stuff too, and its a lot easier to set up a
> > colony nearer to your spare parts suplier.  ;)
> > 
> 
> Well, don't forget the most valuable comodity of them all: KNOWLEDGE!!!
> 
> The amount of things that will be learnt from colonizing another solar
> system is probably the best economic incentive of them all!
> (This is espisially true of systems with alien lifeforms.)
> 
> 
> This is also how the Colony will yield "interest" to the investors back
> home! And the good thing is that "trade" of information/knowledge will be
> posible at Light-speed (and fairly low-cost), where as PHYSICAL trade will
> be quite a bit slower AND more expensive!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >
> > As to the microbs, a bit of American history.  The term "Manifest destiny" was
> > an old phrase in the American colonies refuring to a beleaf that god ment us
> > to take over the continent from the indians.  Where it first came from is the
> > early colonists (not the first, but soon after) who found a continent of dead
> > indians.  Vilages recently abandoned or full of dead and deing.  Old world
> > deseases whiped out well over 95% of the tribal populations before they ever
> > saw a white guy.  All that from desaese they'ld only been isolated from for a
> > few thousand years.
> > 
> > 
> > Kelly
> > 
> 
> Well, this is with basicly NO technology! I think modern medicine WILL be
> able to cope EVEN with alien diseases... (Call me optimistic.)
> 
> Another comment is that the same factors were in places for the Europeans
> coming to the new world and they fared much better...
> 
> 
> 
> Bjorn...
> 
> 

PS: Kelly, For some reason your mails have no reply addres to the list...
You know why???