tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484180326012950400.post2383882759802914996..comments2024-03-27T23:55:17.673-07:00Comments on Flogging Babel: A Massive Failure of Science Fiction's ImaginationMichael Swanwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18389836784776252022noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484180326012950400.post-32563214915913082212012-01-31T11:15:24.632-08:002012-01-31T11:15:24.632-08:00America desn't have to do it alone. And aside ...America desn't have to do it alone. And aside technology capabilties which are probably given, one among other questions is, how can financial resources be provided by for instance America, Europe, China and GUS to do that. Times have been changing since 1969. Results of Research and Development caused by this project must reach people in their daily life - moren than Apple etc. does today *ähm*.<br /><br />It's a long way to Tipperary.<br /><br />"From Europe With Love"hakkensackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06079785180113004433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484180326012950400.post-77866312714322342452012-01-30T23:49:24.411-08:002012-01-30T23:49:24.411-08:00There have been several long and occasionally ranc...There have been several long and occasionally rancorous debates about the practicality, in terms of both technology and economics of near-future space travel in the solar system on Charlie Stross' blog. Charlie is of the opinion that not only is there not the will to get out there now, but that it won't happen for quite a long time (as in, maybe not in this century) because we have no real economic incentive to build the infrastructure required to make going into space cheap. Political incentives may get us more operations in Earth orbit, and possibly some additional landings on the moon, but trips to Mars and permanent bases on the moon will require major research on technologies we haven't got much experience in. Those include long-term closed-loop life support systems and radiation shielding capable of dealing with X-class solar flares.<br /><br />I mostly agree with Charlie, though I believe there's an outside chance that some nation or large corporation is going to be willing to build an advanced launch system that's cheaper than rockets to bootstrap an interplanetary space program. The big risk is that any system we've been able to think up, including laser launchers, space elevators, and rotovators, would look to the nations who weren't building it very much like a very large and powerful offensive weapons system.<br /><br />Going further than Mars is going to require something faster than low-energy economy orbits, probably something other than chemical rockets; there are choices other than nuclear rockets (which have serious political problems), but no one seems to be willing to bet on anything but rockets.<br /><br />So I think the imagination is there, it's just more evenly distributed among the readers than among the writers.SpeakerToManagershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17543351493493167488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484180326012950400.post-65034268165754345362012-01-30T19:54:47.143-08:002012-01-30T19:54:47.143-08:00I think another question worth asking is, why does...I think another question worth asking is, why does America have to do this alone? Beyond the dubious fact that it sounds good when Newt says it like that at a press conference, I mean.David Stonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09983230505509685792noreply@blogger.com