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From: dollas@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: RE: Naming Uranian Moons
Message-ID: <15700054@uiucdcsb>
Date: Mon, 10-Feb-86 02:37:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.15700054
Posted: Mon Feb 10 02:37:00 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Feb-86 06:00:11 EST
References: <8602051830.AA00883@s1-b.arpa>
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Nf-ID: #R:<8602051830.AA00883@s1-b.arpa>:-30:uiucdcsb:15700054:000:1252
Nf-From: uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU!dollas    Feb 10 01:37:00 1986



   Accepting such a bet is not much of a problem, but how can one collect the
money if you lose (he,he) ????
   Anyway, it's good that you plan to be around for a long time. You are 
aware -I am sure- that space station and Moonbase are quite different
things, and even a space-station in not going to have a full-fledged
implementation until, say, the turn of the century (when you will be 42).
Not only we do not presently have the technology (propellants to carry us
back and forth at a reasonable cost comes to mind), but most importantly,
we probably have better things to do with the research money (and SDI is
*not* one of them). Maybe in 40-50 years things will be different, it is
rather hard to extrapolate this early. At any rate I would be willing to
bet you that within the next two decades there will be no Moonbase.
   I am not against a Moonbase, I am just not sentimental about endeavors
that -pride aside- are ahead of their time (read: too costly for the
resulting benefits). 

   Apostolos Dollas
        USENET:	...!{pur-ee,ihnp4}!uiucdcs!dollas 
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(The usual disclaimer goes here - except for SDI which I still do not like
 for purely scientific reasons)