[extropy-chat] Re: Are dwarfs better for long duration spaceflight?

[Mike Lorrey]

Please get quotes straight, that wasn't me.

--- The Avantguardian <avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> --- Mike Lorrey <mlorrey at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> > > Would 
> > > > they be able to hack the training?. I have a
> > feeling that it might
> > > not 
> > > > be a good idea to subject a dwarf to 6g or
> > whatever they do in
> > > those 
> > > > centrifuges.
> 
> I disagree with the dwarf idea. I mean I would not
> stop a dwarf that wanted to be an astronaut, but I
> wouldn't engineer them for space travel. There are
> admittedly some advantages to being small in space,
> there are lots of disadvantages as well. Mass has
> usefulness.
> 
> Unless the mass of crew is a significant issue for
> feul economy purposes, in which case you are probably
> better off sending unmanned probes until you get a
> better propulsion system, then I think normal sized
> astronauts or even large ones would be more "stable"
> at 0g. 
> 
> If one is going to engineer astronauts, I say give
> them more DNA repair enzymes for radiation resistance,
> an anaerobic alternative glycolysis pathway like
> yeast, and the wood chuck's hibernation or the
> hummingbird's torpor. That way they would only consume
> life-support at significant levels when they were
> awake and working. But the best solution is to pack a
> mini-ecosystem in the spaceship so the waste gets
> recycled during "naps" and there are always supplies
> when the astronauts wake up. During a long
> interstellar trip, I think sleeping giants would be
> more efficient than bored dwarves.  
>  
> 
> The Avantguardian 
> is 
> Stuart LaForge
> alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu
> 
> "The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they
> haven't attempted to contact us." 
> -Bill Watterson
> 
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Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
Founder, Constitution Park Foundation:
http://constitutionpark.blogspot.com
Personal/political blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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