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Comment Re:Sentimental claptrap (Score 1) 91

I'm not sure I would consider that a boundary. For a substantial part of their lifetime, our planets were not considered planets.

We know now that planet formation is common place and occurs around nearly every single point of light in the sky. I just don't think the word should still be specific to the Solar System as it currently stands. We need a definition that includes the current planets, and the "other planets".

Comment Re:Sentimental claptrap (Score 1) 91

The Trojan Asteriods are in stable orbits created by Jupiter and the Sun. In effect, Jupiter has cleared its path as everything in its orbit is best thought of with respect to it. So Jupiter really isn't violating the spirit of the definition.

What if it were 3 or 4 billion years ago when the solar system was still young. There would still be a lot of clutter in the orbit of Jupiter and the other planets. We wouldn't be able to call them planets anymore by the IAU's definition.

Comment Re:Same as Columbus (Score 1) 70

No. It took millions of cavemen thousands of years to reach the point where they could do that. A tribe putting together an expedition to follow a herd north would be just as costly on the tribe, and the consequences far more dire than it was for the US. I could probably argue it was a larger undertaking for them than Apollo was the US.

Comment Re:Same as Columbus (Score 1) 70

So, if technology breaks down completely, humans will still be able to survive. That's a little different than anywhere else in the solar system, right ?

We can still die at a moments notice.

Even if all of Mars was habitable, it would only add one quarter additional Earth surface. But it isn't. And the rest of the solar system is even less hospitable than Mars.

I never proposed it as a solution for overpopulation. I never proposed a mass migration. Why do people keep assuming that?

Comment Re:Same as Columbus (Score 1) 70

Primitive humans would probably disagree.

They had to invent the technology to kill animals for food and to acquire pelts for warm themselves in cold climates. They had to learn to control fire. They had to learn language. It simply could not be done without the knowledge you and I take for granted. You're belittling what a huge undertaking all that was. Yes, we can look back from where we are now and say it was easy. But for them, it meant death, therefore it was impossible.

It's the same thing today. We're lacking the knowledge to go in live in a new habitat. But our ancestors 5, 10, or 100 thousand years from now will look back and say it was easy.

And I bet a hundred thousand years ago, there was anti-space-nutter type guy trolling the tribal council saying it was crazy to chase the herds north. It would be certain death. Let's stay here where we can eat leaves and bugs year round.

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