[ExI] Maybe space exploration will be a task for AI humanoids

[Adrian Tymes]

On Tue, Jun 25, 2024 at 6:21 AM efc--- via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> I can imagine
> perhaps manufacturing processes that benefit from being done in a
> vacuum? Tax havens? Mining? Tourism? And then of course, some science on
> top of that. In short, a mix of many different things would be
> necessary.
>

Correct.  Whether or not there is a single "killer app" that dominates the
operation, any successful solution will involve a number of applications
contributing.


> In terms of food, have there been any experiments with insect farming
> as a protein source? Plants I imagine should be, as you say, fairly
> easy, but would it be possible to farm insects as well?
>

We are a mite (pun intended) beyond mere experiments in that field.  See
https://www.google.com/search?q=insect+farming .


> And last, but not least, has there been any progress when it comes to
> muscle atrophy and loss of bone density? I imagine that training is
> definitely not going to cut it, but that there would have to be some
> kind of drug or additional technology in addition to simply training.
>

That's why I brought up spin gravity.  So far as is known (longer studies,
such as of small living organisms living in large centrifuges for years in
orbit, are needed to be sure), long term living in 1G spin gravity (at a
sufficiently large radius relative to the organism's height, so there is no
significant gravity gradient inside the body and minimal Coriolis force)
would completely alleviate the problems from lack of "natural" gravity.  In
the one scenario, the body is constantly being accelerated at 1G; in the
other, the body is constantly being accelerated at 1G.

Granted, this does require a much larger space station than has been built
so far.  https://www.artificial-gravity.com/sw/SpinCalc/ gives a good
overview of the variables.  A half-km diameter (250 m radius) spinning
habitat might comfortably provide 1 G to humans.  Even if this was a thin
"crushed soda can", a 250 m radius, 10 m wide cylinder (leaving aside any
questions of structural or gyroscopic stability) would have an internal
volume just under 2,000,000 cubic meters, compared to around 900 cubic
meters for the ISS.  One can tweak the numbers - e.g., 225 m radius (close
to the minimum for 1 G without too much angular velocity, according to
SpinCalc) and 3 m wide (typical minimum bedroom width; the station might
have two concentric rings of rooms with a corridor between the rings: if
it's 1 G at 225 m from the center, 215 m is about 0.96 G) is a bit over
500,000 cubic meters - but you get the idea.
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