Re:Futurists have their heads in the clouds
by betwixthewires on Friday November 19, 2021 @06:51PM
(#29284149)
Yeah, but once you're there there's very little difference. Travel time to start the colony is (hopefully) only the first 0.001% of the life span of a colony. Also if the trip is so different how does a test run to the moon help us prepare for vastly different transit conditions?
Either way, a pilot program on the moon offers virtually no benefit. It amounts to dipping your toe in when you know the water is cold; you're looking for an excuse to back out.
Re:Futurists have their heads in the clouds
by DennisP on Friday November 19, 2021 @08:30AM
(#29276921)
You don't actually have to endure microgravity for the whole trip. Tether two Starships and spin, and you've got gravity. Musk mentioned a few months ago that they were considering it.
Couple years ago I worked out what the cable mass would have to be, and it really wasn't bad. There's even a Kevlar-equivalent that stands up well to space radiation.
Travel time and therefore distance matters. Months of increased radiation exposure, low gravity, and calorie restriction is very different than a few days going to the moon and back.