Well, this is kind of disappointing....

[strandedonearth]

<font color="yellow">And science can wait. The information will always be there. But we need to move forward agressively with space settlement.</font><br /><br />As soon as humans sets foot somewhere, it'll be impossible to tell if any microbes found were already there or if they hitched a ride from Earth....

 

[MannyPim]

<font color="yellow"> And science can wait. The information will always be there. But we need to move forward agressively with space settlement. <br /><br />As soon as humans sets foot somewhere, it'll be impossible to tell if any microbes found were already there or if they hitched a ride from Earth.... </font><br /><br />You have a point although your statement is innacurate.<br />There are many ways to tell if an organism hitched a ride from Earth. We have a fairly good grasp of genetic engineering now. We know how to do DNA sequencing....<br /><br />But, as I said you have a point. It is preferable to study uncontaminated ecosystems whereever they may exist.<br /><br />However, I am primarily tlaking about the Moon. And on the Moon there are NO living organisms. That is another reason it makes sense to build colonies there. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="2" color="#0000ff"><em>The only way to know what is possible is to attempt the impossible.</em></font> </div>

 

[j05h]

My concern with this line of thinking is that "science" can and has been used as an excuse to stop settlement or human spaceflight. <br /><br />The right place for true "colonies" is in solar and Lagrange orbits, in custom-grown/built/fabbed habitats. Luna is a great platform for hotels, telescopes and other applications, but will always probably always import volatiles. I favor cis-Mars space for development but everything from the Main Belt to Venus has uses (and is accessible). <br /><br />Ruining existing ecosystems is not a good idea - they have both intrinsic and scientific value. Holding back development because we don't know something is short-sighted. There are people who have argued against all space development because of bio-protection issues. <br /><br />Josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>