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

[Henrik Ohrstrom]

Hi! Reintroduction is in order since it was >7 years since I did much more
than semiactive lurking.
Name is Henrik Ohrstrom and I work as anesthesiologist at the University
Hospital of Orebro in Sweden.
At the moment I serve time raising 2 children as at-home-dad while my wife
finishes her internship.
I have been (before moving from Stockholm and getting children etc) active
in the Swedish transhumansist movement, I am also a failed (read wannabe)
aerospace engineer so this discussion interests me :)
Other hobbies includes cryonics, CR (not practicing though), Wargaming and
statistics.

In this spacebased matter I agree with spike, in zero G there is not much
advantage being a "fullsize" astronaut and the problems with spinal column
and joints that make many dwarfs life miserable will have a smaller impact
or perhaps go away entirely.
However, once the expedition reaches a planetary surface dwarfism will be a
negative if the astronauts has to do any EVA on the surface, Space suits,
gravity and very short extremities probably don't mix well.


> -----Original Message-----
[..snipp..]

>
> I can think of a reason why it could go even higher than 3 under
> the circumstances we have today: given a short enough astronaut,
> we could make the hab module a 4 meter diameter sphere, which
> would fit in the cargo bay of the space shuttle or inside the
> standard fairing of a Titan rocket (Lockheeed Martin product) or
> under severe duress the Delta 4 (Booeing product).
>
> A spherical hab module would not waste metal, as a cylindrical
> module would (see item 2 above).
>
> Question: could we arrange for a person to live for possibly
> several years in a spherical device 4 meters in diameter?  You
> and I, probably not without severe distress.  But a person
> one meter tip to tail?  I don't see why not.
>
> Come on you space heads!  Think about this, think hard.  We
> might be able to put together a dynamite paper for SAWE.
>
> spike
>
Nope can't really argue against, perhaps on a more mundo point, if we send
such a minisized expedition what can they do when it arrive to ie mars? As a
solo expedition not much at all. With preparations done ahead they could act
as Waldo drivers for robots on the surface.
This might be enough in it self and materials and hab modules could be sent
ahead to receive the expedition thus enabling the human shuffling to be done
with minimal extras, just a living module with reception prepared before by
robotic crafts.
Apart from the dwarfs this has been the next big space project for far to
long.

/henrik