03-27-2017, 08:39 AM
What does "carved up" in this context mean? At this point Tsiolkovsky only arrived about 20 or 30 years before. Is this like when Spain and Portugal "carved up" the Americas via the pope between them despite not having pratical access to the majority of the Americas?
By early in the sixth century the new system had already been carved up by Sol-system megacorps, venture capitalists, governments, and science interests, both ai and human, and with the microwave beam stations it was now relatively cheap to ferry crew, equipment, supplies, and eventually colonists to Tau Ceti. Only the vast distances were an obstacle - the colonists and crew on the shuttles would have to expect a century-long trip, a punishing time for non-space adapts even with medical nano. For this reason only a few fortunate souls were qualified enough to justify the expense, and had the psychological and geneered characteristics so they could go through such a prolonged and claustrophobic existence without mental imbalance.
http://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/48e2e21ee6d7f
By early in the sixth century the new system had already been carved up by Sol-system megacorps, venture capitalists, governments, and science interests, both ai and human, and with the microwave beam stations it was now relatively cheap to ferry crew, equipment, supplies, and eventually colonists to Tau Ceti. Only the vast distances were an obstacle - the colonists and crew on the shuttles would have to expect a century-long trip, a punishing time for non-space adapts even with medical nano. For this reason only a few fortunate souls were qualified enough to justify the expense, and had the psychological and geneered characteristics so they could go through such a prolonged and claustrophobic existence without mental imbalance.
http://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/48e2e21ee6d7f