Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph Paul
How vast? More than what it takes to build a city?
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Today? Yes. In fact, we can't do it today, as both I and David noted. It's beyond us, just as a 747 wide body would be beyond the full resources of Classical Civilization at its Roman height of power.
But cost is relative to the size of the civilization and the size and wealth of the subgroup doing the project. A 747 is still beyond the resources of most individuals and groups, but costs very little relative to the size of Western Civilization.
When STL starships first appear, they'll almost surely be staggeringly expensive. But things change.