Re: [OT] Bureau of Relocation

>From: Beth Fulton <beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au>
>Reply-To: gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
>To: gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
>Subject: Re: [OT] Bureau of Relocation
>Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 12:39:55 +1000
>
>G'day guys,
>
>I haven't been paying that much attention sorry, so if this question
has
>arisen before sorry. Can someone please give me a very brief, very
quick
>explanation (offlist will be fine so as not to rehash) why there is
this
>perception that space travel will be so cripplingly expensive in
relative
>terms (I'm afraid my glancing hasn't cleared up why there's the
assumption
>that given we get FTL at all that its going to cost the stars to get to

>them).

Sorry, I feel compelled to answer on list.  First, there's the
historical 
precendence.  Travel for the sake of exploration and initial
colonization 
has always been expensive. Columbus had to get a loan from the monarchy
of 
Spain.	Once colonies are established and trade routes formed, then it 
becomes profitable.  Second, there's the obstacles specifically involved
in 
SPACE travel - either launching your spacecraft, or constructing it in 
orbit, there's fueling it, manning it with trained crew. The materials 
necessary for construction, the construction process itself, all add up
to 
expense.  Granted, once you're going out and getting resources from the 
stars, the cost goes down - at least for governments. But for
individuals, 
it will still be costly.

>Funny as it may seem there must be something attractive in it otherwise
>places like Oz wouldn't exist at all.

You Aussies are far too modest.  Australia is fairly bursting with
natural 
resources.

And its not always the case
>that you
>need to be rich to get the passage, they often had the 'soddingly poor,
>sitting in the bilge' class just so as to make the extra money on ever
>voyage possible. You may also underestimate how many people would be
>willing to slave on the boiling surface of planet xyz if it gave them a
>chance for a new life afterwards, happened out here quite a bit at the 
>start.

True.  But there was a ship already going there, funded by some rich 
venturist, or those "sodding poor" never would have had the means to
hire a 
ship on their own.  Push AND pull working in conjunction, if you read
the 
rest of my post.  Thanks for proving my point.

Brian Bilderback

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