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From: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: nearby supernovas etc.
Message-ID: <1052@psivax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Mar-86 11:43:20 EST
Article-I.D.: psivax.1052
Posted: Thu Mar  6 11:43:20 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Mar-86 21:38:03 EST
References: <8603020306.AA00249@s1-b.arpa>
Reply-To: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen)
Organization: Pacesetter Systems Inc., Sylmar, CA
Lines: 22

In article <8603020306.AA00249@s1-b.arpa> REM%IMSSS@SU-AI.ARPA (Robert Elton Maas) writes:
>
>I beg to differ. If current theory says we have only 200 million years
>before we roast, and that isn't enough time for fossil fuels to be
>re-supplied, then there's a reasonable chance it's absolutely urgent
>to get into space this time around instead of blowing our chance and
>having to wait for the next round of fossil fuels.

	Well, 200 MY is certainly long enough for a new set of fossil
fuels. There are coal beds less than 70 MY old. Of course they are
generally low grade coal(Lignite), but another few tens of MY would be
enough to convert them to usable coal. Still, I do not think Homo
sapiens will be around that long if we are restricted to the Earth.
There are lots of other factors that could cause extinction. Most
species either become extinct or evolve into something else in about 1
to 5 MY.
-- 

				Sarima (Stanley Friesen)

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