From: Ross A. Finlayson (raf@tiki-lounge.com)
Date: Fri Feb 09 2001 - 01:29:21 MST
We could just send a pack of wolves.
Ross
"Ross A. Finlayson" wrote:
> In the Niven stories about low and zero-g human life, the people evolved
> slightly longer limbs. That was an environement where they were free falling in
> atmosphere. So, it is completely different than how today we build a space
> station very conservatively with regards to human requirements.
>
> John Marlow wrote:
>
> > SPIKE! SPIKE! I HAVE YOUR SOLUTION!
> >
> > What you need to do is recruit pygmies, midgets, and dwarves for
> > astronaut training and perhaps voluntary selective breeding. Have
> > them carry the goop to make full-sized humans when they get there. Of
> > course, you may well wind up with a society whose idea of a good time
> > is boiled heads and roasted aardvarks, but what the heck...
> >
> > Things you're not considering: Whoever goes, if it's a one-way trip
> > they won't be happy campers. Even if they were volunteers, they'll
> > come to resent those who sent them, perhaps everyone on earth. Not a
> > good thing for those in charge of beginning a second civilization.
> >
> > Also--you have to feed and air-supply the full-sizers once you've
> > grown them. If you didn't bring the food with you--where's it coming
> > from?
> >
> > You mentioned the speed with which civilizations can arise. Sure--but
> > that's here, where you don't need to worry about where your next
> > breath is coming from and the nearest source of abundant food isn't
> > 78 million kilometers away on the far side of vacuum.
> >
> > john marlow
> >
> > On 6 Feb 2001, at 7:19, Chuck Kuecker wrote:
> >
> > > At 10:32 PM 2/5/01 -0800, you wrote:
> > > >John Marlow wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > My point?... It's expensive. Deal with it. (And not by launching
> > > > > dismembered astronauts to save weight.)
> > > >
> > > >How about humans genetically modified to 10 kg? Humans
> > > >have genetically modified poodles and chihuahuas (~4kg) from
> > > >wolves (~50 kg). Similarly domestic cats from the wild variety.
> > > >No, forget it, unethical. Damn. Those born tiny would not be
> > > >volunteers. We can use only volunteers.
> > >
> > > Ever compare the intelligence of a house cat to a lion? Or a chihuahua to a
> > > Great Dane?
> > >
> > > The resulting creature would be mostly brain, not much use for colonization
> > > or exploration unless backed by mucho hardware, which I believe would
> > > outweigh the traveler by quite a bit.
> > >
> > > Unless you are going back to the idea of sending a modified (or crippled)
> > > woman to breed a colony, as as discussed last year? Even then you need
> > > quite an infrastructure.
> > >
> > > Chuck Kuecker
> > >
> >
> > John Marlow
>
> When we talked about this before, it came up that women were more suited
> physiologically in some ways for living in space.
>
> Chuck mentions some pretty sick ideas.
>
> Any humans expected to reproduce, there must at least be a healthy couple.
>
> Ross
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