[ExI] Alpha Centauri

[David Lubkin]

Bill K wrote:

>Using present rockets, about 50,000 to 100,000 years.
>So we need new rocket systems first.
>And unless we leap instantly to near lightspeed transport, the first
>generation ships will be muchly discouraged by the knowledge that
>their journey will be so long that they will almost certainly be
>overtaken by second and third generation transports. So first
>generation ships might as well not bother.

Reread what I wrote:

>This is one we could get to. Worst case, expand across the millennia. From
>the Kuiper Belt to our Oort Cloud to Alpha Centauri's, which is believed to
>exist and overlap with ours.
>
>So we don't need a starship, uploading, or MNT. Just patience.

Colonize the asteroid belt. One rock at a time. When you need
elbow room, expand to the Kuiper Belt. From there to our Oort
Cloud. From there to Alpha Centauri's Oort Cloud. And out to
the rest of the accessible galaxy.

One rock at a time outward, until we get there. No new rocket
systems. No MNT. No uploading. Just the tech to survive without
a nearby star and to reach the next rock. Civilization is always
just a rock or three behind, so if your ship is on the fritz, you can
call AAA.

I'm not saying that's what I expect or want. I *am* claiming that
it's a workable route to the stars with relatively small improvements
in tech over today. And without a trillion-dollar project.


-- David.