Paul Birch and Mass Stream applications for the real world

[Dalex]

I typed a reply to specific points you made but navigated away by accident. Short version is that I disagree quite a bit with the unquestioned assumption this argument uses: that the future = space and everything else is underwhelming. There's no reason why we can't have fantastic, big-idea SF that doesn't involve spaceships and Mars colonies.

Incidentally I doubt bacteria on Mars would change space exploration much other than to provoke a short lived public interest, a longer term series of academic discussion and a change in policy for future probes to carry more microbiology equipment. Oh and it would mean that in future discussions about future space colonisation exo-environmentalist arguments will get a higher priority.

Nowhere in my post I said that only space exploration counts but compare our technology with that from Space Odyssey.
We don't have Turing grade AI, interplanetary vessels, moon colony or causal travel to orbit.
And consider this:when Clarke wrote his books all of that seemed feasible.

Of course instead of that we have internet, genetic modification (also present later in SO series) and lots of other stuff.

As for bacteria on Mars. Lets imagine this scenario: Vikings land and their experiments confirm presence of life. Do you honestly think that NASAs budget would get cut so much and that we remained in LEO if that happened?