02-11-2021, 12:37 AM
Hi There - Welcome to OA!
Please feel free to ask any questions that come to mind, to join in on any ongoing conversations, or to start new ones if you are so inclined.
To add to Rynn's excellent post:
Calculations/estimates for rates of interstellar colonization seem to usually be based on the assumed speed of the colony ships and how long each colony generally takes to build up to the point where it can launch its own colonies.
This topic used to be something that was discussed a lot in futurist circles and generated a lot of papers and books and such. I have some of them in my files and will see what I can dig up this week in terms of either info or recommendations.
A potential challenge in this area is that most of the references I remember (which are generally written for the layperson) don't necessarily go into the math underlying the estimates they reach. But my memory is fuzzy and it may be a case of checking the source material for the reference list and then providing relevant info from there.
I'll get back to you.
On a more OA related note - we actually have a couple of ongoing threads atm (in General Setting Discussion) that relate to this - one on interstellar probes over the course of OA history and the other on interstellar colonization. Basically, what did these things look like early in the OA timeline and then how did they change over time as technology and know-how improved?
Finally and re the Propulsion Performance page - that page is rather old and probably needs some updating, both on general principles and due to changes in our 'take' on how the setting works that have developed over time. This is something of a constant underlying thing with OA - we are constantly adding to or updating the setting based on the discussions here (and to a lesser degree on the Discord). Overall, we are also aiming to get things better organized, but given that OA runs entirely on volunteer labor, it's sometimes a slow process. Please bear with us.
Hope this helps and once again - Welcome to OA!
Todd
Please feel free to ask any questions that come to mind, to join in on any ongoing conversations, or to start new ones if you are so inclined.
To add to Rynn's excellent post:
Calculations/estimates for rates of interstellar colonization seem to usually be based on the assumed speed of the colony ships and how long each colony generally takes to build up to the point where it can launch its own colonies.
This topic used to be something that was discussed a lot in futurist circles and generated a lot of papers and books and such. I have some of them in my files and will see what I can dig up this week in terms of either info or recommendations.
A potential challenge in this area is that most of the references I remember (which are generally written for the layperson) don't necessarily go into the math underlying the estimates they reach. But my memory is fuzzy and it may be a case of checking the source material for the reference list and then providing relevant info from there.
I'll get back to you.
On a more OA related note - we actually have a couple of ongoing threads atm (in General Setting Discussion) that relate to this - one on interstellar probes over the course of OA history and the other on interstellar colonization. Basically, what did these things look like early in the OA timeline and then how did they change over time as technology and know-how improved?
Finally and re the Propulsion Performance page - that page is rather old and probably needs some updating, both on general principles and due to changes in our 'take' on how the setting works that have developed over time. This is something of a constant underlying thing with OA - we are constantly adding to or updating the setting based on the discussions here (and to a lesser degree on the Discord). Overall, we are also aiming to get things better organized, but given that OA runs entirely on volunteer labor, it's sometimes a slow process. Please bear with us.
Hope this helps and once again - Welcome to OA!
Todd