Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2019 12:38:57 GMT
If life has evolved on another planet with Earth-like characteristics, chances are our exposure to it will be fatal. Even if its just vegetation. If humans can't survive on the relatively sterile Moon without spacesuits, they don't stand much of chance anywhere else. We can't survive on the moon because its sterile, as well as a vacuum totally exposed to radiation and with as a result huge temperature variation as well. No human being has lived on another planet with a atmosphere in our own solar system (the Moon has a very tenuous atmosphere, but even the atmosphere on Mars will leave you exposed to radiation). If manned and unmanned spaceflight has proved anything it's that other planets are lethal for human beings, and Earth is the only place that will support human life, and indeed any complex organism. In the absence of evidence Zyobot, you can only make stuff up, which is what SF authors have been doing for centuries. Even with FTL/Wormholes/Jump gates colonised planets would be isolated, and need to be self-sufficient. (Part of the backstory for Out of the Blue Into the Fire is that it is incredibly difficult for human beings in their current form to travel much beyond Mars, and not die in the process. The Hyperians don't even live on planets, they are so dangerous.) |
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kyng
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Post by kyng on Apr 28, 2019 22:32:38 GMT
Interesting ideas! Currently, it wouldn't be legal for any nation to establish a space colony, nor would it be legal to start a mining business: the bodies in outer space (and all of their natural resources) have been designated as the common heritage of mankind, not for public or private exploitation. However, you can bet that this portion of international law will be scrapped or amended as soon as space mining becomes attractive. I don't expect there will be very many people going to live in outer space - at least, not for now. Any space mining (or crazy far-future stuff, like star lifting) would be done mostly with robots: it's hard to see much value in having humans there. Though, perhaps some people will decide they hate Earth, or perhaps some country will decide to start a penal colony on some asteroid. Once that's done, and the colonies are established, it's easy to see more people following. Though, it's hard to imagine what an interstellar colony would look like: it's impossible to see how it could function unless some kind of faster-than-light travel is developed. (Or perhaps some means of bringing stars closer to one another, but I guess that's even crazier!)
Did you mean colony or economy? I can see a separate colony without FTL travel but an economy would be harder to sort out as it would be difficult to trade ideas, let alone products without FTL. Even if a colony is pretty close to Earth, say 10-15 light years you can have support from Earth with technology being transmitted but its going to be difficult really seeing anything going the other way until colonies get very populous or advanced so a trade seems unlikely.
Colonies could be set up by STL ships if either you have some reliable form of suspended animation or some sort of generation ship, although there are likely to be problems, especially with the latter.
Indeed, I meant 'economy' there. My bad. Thanks for picking that up  ! |
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Zyobot
Fleet admiral
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
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Post by Zyobot on May 24, 2019 20:27:27 GMT
It's been quite a while since anyone's replied to this thread; I hope to reignite discussion. YouTube-based futurist and science communicator Isaac Arthur, who pumps out this sort of content regularly, actually published a few videos about interstellar economics. This (semi-outdated) one below is the most pertinent to our conversation that I could find.
Outward Bound: Interplanetary Trade
I hope this helps,
Zyobot
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dayton3
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Post by dayton3 on Jan 17, 2020 1:12:00 GMT
Need some specifics answered like what are interplanetary communications like and what are transit times.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 17, 2020 11:51:46 GMT
Need some specifics answered like what are interplanetary communications like and what are transit times. Do not think even in the near future with a distance like space we will see instant interplanetary communications, you need a lot of communication beacons/stations, just like we are using Radio masts and towers these days. |
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dayton3
Chief petty officer
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Post by dayton3 on Jan 17, 2020 14:07:26 GMT
Need some specifics answered like what are interplanetary communications like and what are transit times. Do not think even in the near future with a distance like space we will see instant interplanetary communications, you need a lot of communication beacons/stations, just like we are using Radio masts and towers these days. A more worthy example for looking at a potential interplanetary economy might be the British Empire at the end of the 19th century. Technically linked by telegraph and transit wise linked by steam ships. Fairly reliable but not all that quick. |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 17, 2020 15:03:41 GMT
Do not think even in the near future with a distance like space we will see instant interplanetary communications, you need a lot of communication beacons/stations, just like we are using Radio masts and towers these days. A more worthy example for looking at a potential interplanetary economy might be the British Empire at the end of the 19th century. Technically linked by telegraph and transit wise linked by steam ships. Fairly reliable but not all that quick. Do not think a intergalactic long cable will do the trick. |
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