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

[efc at swisscows.email]

On Wed, 26 Jun 2024, Adrian Tymes via extropy-chat wrote:

> 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.

Very interesting. Thank you Adrian!

Best regards,
Daniel