Straight out of Sci-fi

[juncmodule]

They would be used to build a lunar colony.

Woot!

That is much more exciting to me!

Besides, I think that is the point of the idea. There will already be a moon colony. The "DNA backup" would come after. So the "restore" process would be done by those already on the moon (I love the fact that everyone is referring to it in terms of a computer "backup").

I think by the time all of this is actually capable of happening the "storage" process will be a bit more simple. I don't see why all of this information couldn't be stored on a computer and recreated by a computer. Keep in mind I'm not talking about something we consider a computer today. I expect that within another 20 years our computers will be vastly different than our computers today. I'm thinking wet wiring, quantum computers, etc. We can just launch our big "database" of life off to orbit the sun. We could then access the "database" in the event of a catastrophe.

Of course none of this will be of any use if we step out of our nuclear/asteroid induced cloud wearing loincloths, throwing rocks, wielding clubs, and humping things.

later,
-junc

[shbaz]

I don't mean to pick on you Darth, it's just that your comments irked me in particular..

If we can't stop ourselves from destroying the planet (nuclear holocaust) do we deserve a Noah's Ark on the moon?

Is this your fault? Do you deserve to suffer for it if a nuclear holocaust occurs, because I'm pretty sure that this would be the fault of relatively few people in comparison to the world population.

If an asteroid is going to wipe out the planet would we be messing with destiny/fate by having a 'backup' of the planet?

To me, that's like saying, "If someone is injured in an auto accident and would die without care, do they deserve to go to the hospital?"

I'm no astro-physicist here, but I think if something big enough came barrelling through the cosmos and completely obliterated the Earth the moon would probably be destroyed too.  Or would it drift off into the sun?  I just don't know ...

The moon is tied to the sun by gravity too, as it moves with the Earth. Imagine that you're driving in a car, and you jump out. You're still going to be moving just as fast as the car was, except you'll slow down because of air resistance and your corpse bouncing on the asphalt. BUT if there were no air or gravity you'd continue moving at the same velocity and direction. The same applies to orbitting masses, except with a radial component.

If the earth were to suddenly blow up, a lot of pieces of it would stick to the moon because of its gravity. Provided that there was a large enough mass left, the moon could continue orbitting it, or if there was a smaller mass than the moon left (of the Earth) then the two would possibly combine into one lumpy mass that would eventually become a sphere like all of the other planets, or the Earth could begin orbitting the moon, which would be ironic..

[Darth Mandarb]

Is this your fault? Do you deserve to suffer for it if a nuclear holocaust occurs, because I'm pretty sure that this would be the fault of relatively few people in comparison to the world population.

Well no ... I just meant that if the population was diminished because of the fault of human-kind I would be dead anyway ... I mean, does the human race deserve a second chance?Ã,  If they destroyed themselves the first time around why bother with a second?Ã,  It'll just happen again and I, the innocent un-involved, will once again be obliterated by a blinding flash of nuclear energy once again!!

To me, that's like saying, "If someone is injured in an auto accident and would die without care, do they deserve to go to the hospital?"

Yes of course they deserve to go to the hospital, but what if there weren't any hospitals?Ã,  I have mixed feelings about this issue.

If you think about it, before modern man learned the wonders of science and medicine there were FAR fewer people on this planet because people just didn't live as long.Ã,  Now that we know how to live longer the planet is over-flowing with people.Ã,  I think things like Hanta, Ebola, AIDs, etc. are the planet's way of trying to get rid of the human 'fleas'.

Now of course I was just playing devil's advocate with those two questions you commented on.Ã,  As I stated below them (in the original post) I think this idea is a good one and should be done.

I think, in the end, it doesn't hurt anything to do it and could, in the long run, be very beneficially to us.

[shbaz]

Well no ... I just meant that if the population was diminished because of the fault of human-kind I would be dead anyway ... I mean, does the human race deserve a second chance?  If they destroyed themselves the first time around why bother with a second?  It'll just happen again and I, the innocent un-involved, will once again be obliterated by a blinding flash of nuclear energy once again!!

Or the post-holocaust survivors would care for the world a little better after trying to restore it.. it wouldn't be hard to imagine destruction of the information that would lead to an atomic bomb. While anyone today who can get the uranium could figure out how to make a nuke, it's not something that's easy to figure out when one is just trying to imagine ways to create large bombs.

Yes of course they deserve to go to the hospital, but what if there weren't any hospitals?  I have mixed feelings about this issue.

In my analogy, the "hospital" is the moon, where all of the information to restore the world to its former state would be housed.

Otherwise, yeah. I agree.

[DGMacphee]

Don't you guys know anything?

If we blow up the Earth then a race of super-apes will take over and round up humans as pets. Having an escape pod on the moon will only just fly around the universe for a while before crash landing back on Earth.



YOU MANIACS! YOU BLEW IT UP! DAMN YOU! GOD DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!

[Scummbuddy]

yeah, it was really interesting AND fun to whact the race to the moon, man i miss races like that..

You're 15. How could you remember watching that?

[Sylpher]

I don't think having a 'back-up' of DNA is a bad thing in anyway. I mean if it ever needs to be used I probobly won't be around anymore to really care so..

I think the question should be is it worth all the time and money that will need to be dumped into such a large project (as well future funding to keep them maintained and preserved). I think it is a pretty debatable subject of if that funding and time would be better spent on other things.

Like making capsul's that have parachutes that work..