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From: desj@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (David desJardins)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: oft quoted startrek motto I don't like
Message-ID: <12109@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Fri, 28-Feb-86 23:17:48 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.12109
Posted: Fri Feb 28 23:17:48 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Mar-86 18:17:01 EST
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Reply-To: desj@brahms.UUCP (David desJardins)
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In article <8602282233.AA04464@s1-b.arpa> REM%IMSSS@SU-AI.ARPA
(Robert Elton Maas) writes:
>..........
>Space isn't a frontier, it's a whole series of frontiers. A few
>centuries ago space meant the ocean and the new world, right now it
>means low Earth orbit, later it'll mean dyson sphere, then it'll mean
>travel to other stars at sub-light speeds using generation ships,
>someday it'll mean travel to other galaxies.

   I find this order of events fascinating and a little ridiculous.
Travel to other stars is a long way off but certainly conceivable.
Dyson spheres are science fiction (no offense).  Not that they aren't
theoretically possible (if you're willing to live without gravity),
but the technology required is incomparably greater than that needed
for interstellar ships.  It is like the difference between traveling
to the New World (Vikings managed this 1000 years ago) and building
new continents on the sea floor!

   -- David desJardins