Re: Re:1900's was: COLONIAL WEAPONS

----- Original Message -----
From: K.H.Ranitzsch <KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de>
To: <gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2002 12:36 AM
Subject: Re:1900's was: COLONIAL WEAPONS

>
> I doubt that even a colony of several 100.000 would be able to sustain
such
> an infrastucture.
>
> Greetings
> Karl Heinz

I really don't think anything under 200,000 is a colony.
After the initial survey and classification etc. the heavy
colonization of the planet I think would tend to be large
scale affairs of 100 to 200 thousand per trip out. Most
of the factory and farm/mining equipment would be
prefabricated as  would be the habitation at first. I tend to
think that any earth like planet out there would be to big
and opportunity to pass up. And when you factor the
economic, population pressures, and the need of raw
materials you would want to  make sure it was a go. And
to further insure that the colony  does succeed you would
spread the settlements out across the planet in say 5 to 10
thousand each. (helps to stave off a planetary natural
disaster wiping out the whole venture.) Anything smaller
would I think be either a military or corporate venture with
very specific aims not a self sustaining colony.