X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson
Received: from hogtown.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests)
ID </afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr1/ota/Mailbox/Ibnp43K00WBw02z04N>;
Sat, 2 Mar 91 02:15:15 -0500 (EST)
Message-ID: <0bnp3ym00WBwI2xE5w@andrew.cmu.edu>
Precedence: junk
Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU
Date: Sat, 2 Mar 91 02:15:11 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SPACE Digest V13 #223
SPACE Digest Volume 13 : Issue 223
Today's Topics:
Re: Government vs. Commercial R&D (Really about MSFC)
Re: Whither Lunar Observer in FY92?
Commercial Space News (8 of 8)
Commercial Space news (7 of 8)
Commercial Space news (5 of 8)
Re: Terraforming, sun shield
NASA elements via FTP
Re: space news from Jan 7 AW&ST
Administrivia:
Submissions to the SPACE Digest/sci.space should be mailed to
space+@andrew.cmu.edu. Other mail, esp. [un]subscription requests,
should be sent to space-request+@andrew.cmu.edu, or, if urgent, to
From: agate!bionet!uwm.edu!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv1!watdragon!watyew!jdnicoll@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (James Davis Nicoll)
Subject: Re: Terraforming, sun shield
I used the phrase 'space slums' because the type of habitat
I was discussing was intended to squeeze as much living space as
possible out of a given amount of mass. 'Slum' is probably the wrong
word; all the slums I've seen were poorly managed wrt efficient use
of resources. However, I thought it conveyed the right air of crowdedness.
I'm always amused at the generally rosy picture people
paint of habitats. I have a suspicion that the management system
used to run Newfoundland outports would be a viable method in space as
well. If you control both inflow and outflow of goods, you can really
jerk people around. Just make sure they can't emigrate (or throw rocks).
A question for the anti-terraformers: imagine we had explored
Venus for several centuries and found no sign of life. Imagine that
we *could* introduce lifeforms to Venus, but that the resulting
ecosystem had no niche for humans (like the oasis around deep sea vents).
Would it be ok to introduce those lifeforms, in your opinion?