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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Father Terrence who wrote (27786)	1/9/1999 5:31:00 PM
From: Sidney Reilly	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 108807

FT, I have been a great fan of science fiction over the years. But that is fiction. The truth of the matter is far different. For example, the enormous costs involved in getting to another planet could only come from governments. Look at things now. The leading space exploration agency is a government agency. Private industry won't shell out the clams for such a profit sucking endeavor. When NASA gets a workable shuttle to the asteroid belt and back industry might perk up. Then as now they will pay a fraction of the cost for the enormous benefits. And that's OK as far as I'm concerned. It won't get done any other way. So if NASA can develop a near light speed space ship and somehow overcome the obstacle of relativity who gets to go first? The troops of course. When "colonists" get anywhere there will already be a government structure in place. It will be the same as whatever is here. Therefore no escape from oppressive regimes in space. An interesting problem is relativity. As the speed of light is approached time will nearly stop passing. In that condition will people be aware, or digest, or perform any tasks at all? Could there be a natural condition like suspended animation at near the speed of light that would mean no support for life will be needed at all until deceleration? During flight if there was a light on would that light bend backwards, never reflecting off anything and never reaching the eyes making it completely black in the ship? Light would be like smoke blown in the wind, always behind the ship. When the ship got to the nearest star in around 4 years would the crew have aged at all? Everyone on earth would be 4 years older. Bob