[ExI] tiny martians again

[John Grigg]

In Arizona there is a "little person" who is a local celebrity actor but
also has a day job as an engineer.  His wife passed away a few years ago so
maybe we should get these two together.  Later, we can get them enrolled
into the NASA astronaut program...  I once had a beautiful co-worker from
the former East Germany and she was convinced that dwarfs had smaller brains
and were generally the intellectual inferiors of "full-sized" people. LOL
It was hard to disagree with a woman who was so physically stunning that
looking at her was like staring into the sun.  But beauty does not always
come with common sense and intellectual curiosity.

I just don't like the idea of genetically engineered astronauts/space
colonists who are designed from birth to be on the very small side.  If the
idea of "little person" astronauts caught on I could see genetic engineering
being used to create the next generation of space explorers and colonists.
And then we might develop a schism between the big people of Earth and the
little folks of space.  A war could break out and the little people might
win and then become our cruel overlords (taunting us constantly with, "how
is the weather up there?" jokes...).  It all sounds like the plot to some
1950's science fiction novel (but in fairly recent SF they show extremely
tall and slender humans living in space).  In the sf classic, "Starship
Haiku," by S.P. Somtow, the author shows a future human society where
everyone has been reduced in size by genetic engineering in an effort to
relieve the strain on available resources.  It's a fun read (Somtow is a
very talented writer).

I think America and the rest of the world likes to see their astronauts
being full-sized, despite the extra costs involved.  But for good measure we
could certainly have one or two Mars mission crew members, etc., who are
little people.  Mike Meyers proved in his Austin Powers films that dwarves
are still very beloved in the popular culture.  NASA is definitely
interested in having good public relations and very lovable astronauts the
public will root for during a long space mission is a great idea.

Growing up in Alaska, I knew fairly well two different guys who were little
people.  They were smart, kind-hearted, and hard-working men who had a
"can-do" attitude.  I say it is time for a little person astronaut!  Hey,
Spike, let's start an organization!

John Grigg  : )
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