Newsgroups: sci.space
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: NSS and space settlement
Message-ID: <1989Feb9.011731.607@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <3225@vice.ICO.TEK.COM> <258@corpane.UUCP> <1989Jan27.075350.2215@cs.rochester.edu>
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 89 01:17:31 GMT

In article <1989Jan27.075350.2215@cs.rochester.edu> dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) writes:
>... A desire to have people in space at some
>point in the future does not necessarily justify manned spaceflight in
>the present.

Unless, of course, one actually wants to get started on having people in
space someday, as opposed to postponing it indefinitely.  If one wants to
get started on it any time within the next few decades, it is not too
early to start doing it experimentally to lay the groundwork.  If one wants
to postpone it a few centuries, of course, any work on it is pointless,
since it will be possible to buy it from the Soviets long before then.
-- 
Allegedly heard aboard Mir: "A |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
toast to comrade Van Allen!!"  | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu