> Has anyone considered the possiblity of colonizing any arbitrary star? As
> long as there is sufficient material in orbit, be it asteroids or planets, a
> seeder ship could assemble habitats for colonists, who would arrive in deep
> sleep or be generated on the spot from frozen embryos or directly from a DNA
> data base.
>
> We don't necessarily need a habitable planet, or even a planet around a star
> to build a colony. Given, there is something to be said for being able to
> run around practically naked on a planetary surface, but this preference
> might just be a remnant of our animal origins, and might not be missed by
> transhumans..
Exactly. There is no real point in looking for planets (except for us
who retain an interest in condensed matter life and other such
phenomena). O'Neill habitats or nanotech polises for uploads would do
just as well and be less wasteful.
Not every star system is suitable, though. Some stars are too unstable
to be nice homes, and others may have other drawbacks (red dwarves are
not good sources of light for O'Neill habitats, you need to make your
own yellow light to get plants to grow and the inhabitants from
going nuts in the red dusk).
> Perhaps our progeny will caper naked around the photosphere of a
> likely star for a family outing..
"Dad! I lost my solar sail in that asteroid belt!"
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