Re: Whether comets can be used to transport DNA and organic chemicals.

> It is just a question of time before someone volunteers to be launched
onto a
> comet on the way away from the sun, to live out one's years on the comet,
> reporting back to earth
> until dying on the comet.

Anyone volunteering to do such a thing would so mentally unbalanced that
surely they would be useless to perform any worthwhile duties to radio back
to earth before they die. As there are laws against assisting suicide, the
legal problems of getting permission to launch would be impossible to
overcome.

However I suppose it would be possible to land on a comet and bore down to
the centre, deposit the capsule containing DNA samples, and then fly back to
earth. But it would be a long time in the future before such a venture would
be economic, in my opinion. After such time has passed, the solutions to
many problems, maybe even ageing and disease, will have been found, so the
need for it would be much reduced. But still some intrepid explorers may
like to send their seed out into space and time.

--
Sincerely, John de Rivaz: http://www.deRivaz.com
my homepage links to Longevity Report, Fractal Report, music, Inventors'
report, an autobio and various other projects:
http://www.geocities.com/longevityrpt
http://www.autopsychoice.com - http://www.cryonics-europe.org -
http://www.porthtowan.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Trygve Bauge" <trygve.bauge@chello.no>
To: "John de Rivaz" <John@deRivaz.com>; <CryonicsEurope@yahoogroups.com>;
"Billy H. Seidel" <seidel@kachina.net>; "cryonet" <cryonet@cryonet.org>
Cc: <ek1@bigpond.com>; "Trygve Bauge" <trygveb@powertech.no>
Sent: 02 July 2001 20:27
Subject: [CryonicsEurope (Yahoo)] Re: Whether comets can be used to
transport DNA and organic chemicals.
>
> "John de Rivaz" <John@deRivaz.com> wrote:
>
> > "Trygve Bauge" <trygve.bauge@chell.no> wrote:
> >
> > > Maybe comets could be seeded with genetic material that we want to
> spread
> > > around the universe?
> >
> > I think it was Mike Darwin who answered this one in respect of a group
> that
> > planned to launch a probe out of the solar system containing DNA from
> people
> > who had paid about $50 for the privilege.
> >
> > He said that the radiation in space would soon garble any DNA sent out
> that
> > way, unless well shielded. the amount of shielding required would
produced
> > too heavy a ship to get off the ground.
> >
>
> Comets are quite big, some seems to consist of ice etc. some of which
melts
> and forms the sunlight reflecting tale. They might have enough ice or mass
> to shield biological material.
> When it comes to gamma radiation 3.3 inches of dirt cuts radiation in
half,
> and 6.6 inches cuts it to 1/4 .... and about 3 feet of dirt cuts radiation
> to 1/1000 while six feet of dirt cuts radiation to 1 millionth of what it
is
> at the surface. For concrete 2.2 inches cuts radiation in half ....etc....
> Water has a similar shielding effect, though I don't have the exact
figures.
> The exact properties of ice and comets I don't know but they certainly
would
> easily
> provide the few feets of shielding that is needed.
>
> Man made probes have already been attempted landed on comets.
>
> It is just a question of time before someone volunteers to be launced onto
a
> comet on the way away from the sun, to live out one's years on the comet,
> reporting back to earth
> until dying on the comet. With the appropriate space ship and enough
> supplies one could possibly live and breed until the comet comes back
years
> or even centuries later,
> Though some comets might never come back, and could possibly be used to
get
> a flying start for longer space travels. e.g. so that the probe is launced
> from the comet at the latter's
> fartherest distance from the earth, and then continues further on its own.
>
> sincerely,
>
> Trygve Bauge
>
>
>
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