I miss the olden days when I could manage to give even one fractional shit about human spaceflight.
When every news article didn't require navigating whether it was propaganda, or a grift, or both (because it's *never* science).
When I thought that humanity surviving beyond Earth was even *remotely* possible.
This timeline sucks.
Once there is:
• A luxury hotel atop Everest, or
• A settlement 500m below the surface of any ocean; or
• Any city getting 30% of its veggies/grains from subway hydroponics; or
• Vegas making all of its own water;
...then I will concede that we have solved the first 1% of the problems needed to be a spacefaring species.
Absent any of that, putting monkeys in a can is just a premature stunt.
This timeline sucks.
@jwz Others have addressed the Qomolangma Hilton, so what is your point with the 500m depth SeaCity?
- It's half the depth needed to test Venus tech.
- Totally worthless for developing Mars or other vacuum tech.
- It's below the photic zone, so ... imitates what space environment?
A 500m depth MineCity would be almost as pointless. Even on Mars that would only get you a few %/10 of an atmosphere pressure (going straight down ; no effect going sideways).
jwz
WellsiteGeo
Charlie Stross