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How do we get there?

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ORIGINAL: WickedsDesire

Aww I was going to do a sciencey thread, with polls and everything, cause I know things and stuff like that before I went as mad as a bag of owls
Took them long enough to find that one and I miss bablyon 5 clips anyone?

Earth-sized world 'around nearest star' - not technically correct that, this moment in time yes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37167390


I think I said the other day Pluto is 6 light hours away and something about the Chinese space budget and the moon 250 000 miles away....mars 23-63 million if my memory is correct

Ion drive is our best mode - thusfar. But in essence we have never transversed a vast distance

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ORIGINAL: needlesandpins

I think I'd be letting them iron out those kinks first in the earlier flights before I get on board [:D]

Needles

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ORIGINAL: needlesandpins

I think I'd be letting them iron out those kinks first in the earlier flights before I get on board [:D]

Needles

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ORIGINAL: PeonForHer

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ORIGINAL: needlesandpins

I think I'd be letting them iron out those kinks first in the earlier flights before I get on board [:D]

Needles

It would also be quite nice to know a bit more about the planet than just that it's 'like Earth'. What sort of flora and fauna, for instance? Could we eat it? Could it eat us?

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ORIGINAL: jlf1961

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ORIGINAL: PeonForHer

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ORIGINAL: needlesandpins

I think I'd be letting them iron out those kinks first in the earlier flights before I get on board [:D]

Needles

It would also be quite nice to know a bit more about the planet than just that it's 'like Earth'. What sort of flora and fauna, for instance? Could we eat it? Could it eat us?

When has that stopped humans from exploring anywhere else?

Now, if you sent an unmanned probe first, at present speed for a plasma drive ship, you are looking at 40 years one way.

When it gets there, it sends down its rovers and what not, figure about 6 months for a survey, then send a report back to earth at light speed, so 4.5 years to hear from the probe, so you have just used 46 years.


Now, if you sent a manned mission, since we have no way to actually use suspended animation, the crew would have to be no older than 20 when they left, and if they did not go bat shit crazy and kill each other on the trip, 60 when they got there.

Basically a one way trip for the folks.

So, plan C.

We build a ship big enough for a viable number of couples to ensure genetic diversity in future generations.

The minimum number of any animal is 25 breeding pairs.

However, as any one that has worked with breeding stock for specific qualities as well as genetic diversity, the higher the ratio of females to males is even better to ensure both a diverse gene pool as well as desired traits.

In which case, you would be looking at 25 males to 250 females, or ten women for every man.

And you would have to pick the 'crew' with a whole new set of criteria.

First, you would have to consider intelligence, strength, stamina, adaptability in all members, and add to that you have to ensure that the men and women will be able to produce a large number of children.

Then the ship itself would have to be large enough to handle two generations born in transit.

As for the ship, there it gets really complicated.

We have already learned from long duration missions on the space station that extended periods in a micro gravity environment is detrimental to health.

So, the ship will have to have some form of artificial gravity.

Well, we know that if we put a spin on it, that will do nicely, but the section with gravity would have to be huge.

Then you have the problem of feeding all those people, processed food wont do, so they are going to actually have to grow it, which serves two functions, nutritional and environmental.

Then we have the over all cost.

Which would be in the trillions of dollars.

The only way to build it would be an international program, which means that everyone would have to quite spending money on weapons to blow the shit out of each other.

And we all know that humans would rather blow the shit out of each other than do one fucking thing that might give the race a chance to achieve something.

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ORIGINAL: jlf1961


So, plan C.

We build a ship big enough for a viable number of couples to ensure genetic diversity in future generations.

The minimum number of any animal is 25 breeding pairs.

However, as any one that has worked with breeding stock for specific qualities as well as genetic diversity, the higher the ratio of females to males is even better to ensure both a diverse gene pool as well as desired traits.

In which case, you would be looking at 25 males to 250 females, or ten women for every man.

And you would have to pick the 'crew' with a whole new set of criteria.

First, you would have to consider intelligence, strength, stamina, adaptability in all members, and add to that you have to ensure that the men and women will be able to produce a large number of children.

Then the ship itself would have to be large enough to handle two generations born in transit.
...

Then we have the over all cost.

Which would be in the trillions of dollars.

The only way to build it would be an international program, which means that everyone would have to quit spending money on weapons to blow the shit out of each other.

And we all know that humans would rather blow the shit out of each other than do one fucking thing that might give the race a chance to achieve something.

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ORIGINAL: WhoreMods

The cynical answer to "how do we get there" is: "We tell them moslems that there's a planet full of infidels who don't fear the true religion because nobody's ever hijacked one of their airliners or beheaded a squaddie in the street."
The real answer, I fear is: "We don't."

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ORIGINAL: ThatDizzyChick

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How do we get there?

No idea, but like a plague, we will find a way to spread our infection.

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ORIGINAL: blnymph


Plan C revised: Why bother with males - all an all female crew would need instead is a freezer with sperm in nice small portions if anyone feels the time for another generation coming. Males are just dead weight and with all their testosterone and adrenaline based behaviour, an unnecessary risk. And dismissing them would certainy lower the overall costs too.

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In which case, you would be looking at 25 males to 250 females, or ten women for every man.