From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Fri Mar 12 1999 - 02:52:18 MST
(WAS: SPACE/NET: Getting The Internet Off The Ground And Into Orbit)
Between that and the Space Hilton, this is one of the most heartwarming
things I've heard in years. They want to start limited commercial
flights in 2000!
As a Singularitarian, I'm not excited because of the economic benefits
of asteroid mining or even lunar mining; I don't see that in a near-term
time frame. The payload and cost-to-orbit looks like it might be
economical for Solar Power Satellites, which could prove economically
important. The main reason, of course, is the possibility of
self-sustaining O'Neill or lunar colonies. Just in case I'm right and
work too slow but Drexler's wrong and works too fast, you understand.
So my question is this: O'Neill colonies, capable of sustaining
themselves with no help from Earth for at least a year, no sooner than
2002 and no later than 2013. Can It Be Done? How Much Will It Cost?
I'm assuming that we send up an independent nanotechnology lab. This
way, even if someone cooks the Earth, they can duplicate the nanotech
independently and go on to _Aristoi_ from there. This assumes that the
first assembler either isn't a Deep Dark Secret or that the military
labs have a continuous channel to space that they can use, in case of
defeat, to altruistically transmit the Secret before being eaten. How
Much Will It Cost?
This would really cover all the bases on (survival of
humanity)/(Singularity); nuclear war leaves Australia (although the
colonies are dead), nanowar leaves nanotech-enabled colonies.
--
sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
http://pobox.com/~sentience/AI_design.temp.html
http://pobox.com/~sentience/singul_arity.html
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise specified, I'm not telling you
everything I think I know.
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