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A comment on Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth where humans could live. Parent comment

Re:Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth ... by ghaff on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @01:09PM (#22537267)
The Expanse is quite good. But the earth/Mars/Belt differences are mostly cultural at least in the TV series. The "Belters" meme in SF has been around for a long time though. See Larry Niven for example. (And I'm sure it's older than that.)
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Re:Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth ... by JdeBP on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @01:43PM (#22537612)
Jeff Prucher's Brave new words gives its earliest attestation for the word as Niven's Warriors in 1966.
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Re:Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth ... by ghaff on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @01:54PM (#22537743)
I would have guessed Heinlein but I don't see evidence he used that particular term although he had similar tropes in his books--e.g. Loonies in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
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Re:Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth ... by JdeBP on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @02:04PM (#22537859)
For similar tropes, see the meteor miners in E.E. Smith's Grey Lensman.
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Re:Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth ... by rootbear on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @04:21PM (#22539271)
Oh, that looks like an interesting book! I read a lot of Niven back in college and I wondered if he invented the word "Belter", for Asteroid Belt dwellers.
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Re:Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth ... by rthomas6 on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @02:11PM (#22537932)
In the books it's MUCH more than cultural, to the point that belters are unable to visit Earth without some difficulty due to too much gravity. Belters are described as much taller and more slender that people born and raised on Earth.
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Re:Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth ... by tomjakubowski on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @02:03PM (#22537844)
Beltalowdah physiological difficulty in adapting to gravity is a recurring plot point on the show. The culture difference exists in part because no Belter can survive long periods on Earth.
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Re:Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth ... by nitrogen on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @02:17PM (#22537978)
The novels portray each group has having more significant physiological differences. Naomi is supposed to be quite a bit taller than Holden, for example.
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Re:Saturn's largest moon may be the only place beyond Earth ... by ghaff on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @02:25PM (#22538047)
Makes sense. Easier to do in books than on the screen, especially a TV show. It's logistically just a lot easier to have everyone look like ordinary humans modulo superficial styling (and acting) differences.
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