From Ralph Houston
Nick Deane
(27 January, p 51)
is very negative about space colonisation, and
believes it will only be done to benefit us here on Earth. Yes, emigration to
other planets or into space cannot possibly solve the burgeoning problem of
overpopulation and it would take colossal numbers of space launches just to keep
up. But if, and I hope when, space is colonised, the small number of pioneers
will create their own colonies, which will exist for their own benefit and only
incidentally for ours, trading goods more easily produced in vacuum or zero
gravity for example.
Solving our living space or resources problems are separate issues from
colonisation. We need frontiers, not as a source of virgin territory to despoil,
but for the intellectual and physical challenges they represent.
Bunnik, The Netherlands
