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#661
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Matt Giwer wrote:
The buzz phrase 'exploration of space' has been around for so long it isn't questioned. Well, it's shorthand for "exploring that part of the Universe which is not the Earth." Which is to say, exploring the vast majority of everything which exists. The reason I find the notion that (barring extinction in the fairly near future) our species _won't_ explore or colonize "space" to be ridiculous is that it is equivalent to saying that our species will remain stuck on Just One Planet, forever, despite an increasing ability to venture beyond. This is also why I think that whichever culture or cultures of our species succeed in colonizing other worlds will expand to a degree that will render the stay-behind cultures numerically insignicant. And this is (probably) China's long-term objective in advancing her space program: China remembers what happened the _last_ time China chickened out on long-range expansion, in the 15th century. In the old days would could be first in a category to explore an island or even a continent. ??? What does this sentence mean, in normal English syntax? The only category of interest to this discussion is European. Obviously at one time the first indian arrivals did but we have no records. Exploring the moon or Mars has a meaning in this sense. Exploring the ocean is a search for land undiscovered by a category, again European. Exploring space will confirm it is a whole lot of nothing if that needs confirmation. Well, mostly yes (what we perceive today as "vacuum" may have hidden structures in the physics sense). But it's generally understood that when someone talks of "space exploration" or "space colonization" they mean the objects, not the space ... So do you know of any private projects to explore the moon? Mars? Moon: Artemis Society, and Burt Rutan (commercial Lunar shuttles is his announced long-term goal). Mars: I'm not sure, though I know that Zubrin has extensively studied the problems involved. Keep in mind that Mars is two orders of magnitude more distant from the Earth than is Luna: this is why there is a lot more actual preparation going on for Lunar exploration and colonization projects than there is for Martian ones, even though Mars is far more habitable and probably far more interesting than is Luna. Assuming a transportation infrastructure in place (as there certainly will be within a quarter-century, maybe less) a Lunar colony in trouble could receive the necessary replacement parts, supplies, personnel etc. in a matter of days to weeks; a Mars colony in similar straits would have to wait months to years for rescue to arrive. This means that we need to develop our long-term life support capabilities much more to successfully colonize Mars than we need to colonize Luna, even though Mars is actually the more habitable world. Sincerely Yours, Jordan |
#662
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Oh crap, Jordan,
the-looney-I'd-prefer-not-to-name-lest-he-find-his-way-back-here has been gone for a while; let sleeping morons lie. |
#663
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On 12 Jul 2005 15:03:11 -0700, "Jordan"
wrote: Matt Giwer wrote: The buzz phrase 'exploration of space' has been around for so long it isn't questioned. Well, it's shorthand for "exploring that part of the Universe which is not the Earth." Which is to say, exploring the vast majority of everything which exists. The reason I find the notion that (barring extinction in the fairly near future) our species _won't_ explore or colonize "space" to be ridiculous is that it is equivalent to saying that our species will remain stuck on Just One Planet, forever, despite an increasing ability to venture beyond. "forever" is a meaningless word. But before we take off to dig holes in the stone of alien worlds which to live, we are going to need to think of a reason why we couldn't just as easily dig holes in our own planet and get everything in our native holes that we could in our alien holes just as easily, if not more so. If we can't, any such attempts at settlements will stagnate and wither. This is also why I think that whichever culture or cultures of our species succeed in colonizing other worlds will expand to a degree that will render the stay-behind cultures numerically insignicant. Will they dig holes faster than the stay-behind cultures can? |
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