Discussion
Topic: Books
In your opinion, assuming there is no emergency pushing us onward, are cryoships/generation ships a viable option for reaching other habitable star systems and planets?
6 comments
Brandon Reed Those are two very different questions. I think that cryoships probably are, assuming that the technology is within the reach of humanity. Generation ships, though, aren't plausible because they'd result in increasingly maladjusted crew members and colonists.
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Road Master This isn't an either/or question. I'm asking if either of them are viable if FTL travel is currently unavailable.
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Jessica H I recently read an article about rich people freezing themselves in the hopes that one day cryo technology improves and they can live forever or something. It honestly just sounds like freezing stupid people to death and charging them for it. While i can accept the technology in sci-fi, i see no ethical way to do the experiments to get there in real life.
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Road Master Oh yeah. This has been a staple of sci-fi for decades. The idea is, somebody who has a terminal illness can freeze themselves before or shortly after death. Ideally, they would remain frozen and preserved until a cure for their particular disease has been discovered. There are a number of famous people who supposedly are currently frozen. The one who comes to mind is Walt Disney. As far as the ethics of it, people typically volunteer for it, soo....
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Road Master I tried to link a video below. But I screwed it up. But I posted it below. I found it really interesting and it pertains to this discussion.
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Ophylia St. Grey Even if it/they was/were only the rich would have access to it. I've seen Elysium.
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Brandon Reed The rich will still want staff, to the point that the pharaohs had their servants killed and mummified with them when they died. They'll also want workers to ensure that they remain prosperous and powerful.
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Road Master I don't think we'd really have to worry about the rich and powerful flinging themselves into the black. Not until some kind of infrastructure was available at the destination.
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David Rachau Without an emergency evacuation of earth, I don't think a generation ship would even be considered. Now, there could be a certain subset of people who have a slightly different definition of an emergency, and so they could spend the money, and fling themselves at the stars, but it would likely be unsuccessful. As has already been mentioned, generation ships just would not work with us humans. The children and grandchildren of the original people wouldn't necessarily feel the same way, or develop the needed skills for their future survival. Ive read some sci-fi that attempts to get around this by locking all the "colonists" in one specific section of the ship, with no access to the navigation or life support, and dedicated crew who are cryo stored to take control of the ship either in shifts, or replacing crew when they die or retire. Of course, even in those stories, it doesn't go to plan. 🤣 Cryo ships, if our technology ever gets to that point, would definitely be a thing. My opinion is that it is more likely we will first be able to upload our consciousness to a "computer" and then have that sent to inhabit an android body, or maybe a clone, when they arrive at the other star system.
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Road Master Your final points are touching on the questions I have. Would it be worth it or make sense to try, knowing it would take decades, centuries, or more to reach your destination? Would you reach your destination before humanity on Earth developed FTL travel?
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David Rachau If you're someone who wants to travel the stars, and see other systems, waiting isn't really an option. Sure, society could develop FTL, and get there before you do, but what if that doesn't happen until years after you would have been dead? Or, even years after you would be considered for a passenger, or crew member? The fact that some potential future person could possibly do something quicker, and/or easier, doesn't mean others shouldn't try.
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Road Master I posted about a video below. It's pertinent and interesting.
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Teresa Prokopanko Cryo tech working effectively is my biggest question; I'm not sure I see it ever getting to that point? Like, we're water-based. I feel like that's sort of a key issue with below-zero temperatures. Maybe some sort of "stasis"??
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Road Master A valid concern. If some other type of stasis was possible, would it be a viable option?
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Road Master https://youtu.be/LxMfM3zwwk8?si=dAOq3lSrCJ_QyIRZ
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Road Master Ugh. I just keep screwing this up. The video is What Would a Generational Space Ship Actually Look Like? by Science Unbound. It's 13:33 long.
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Road Master Was a super interesting video though. Especially in light of this discussion.
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