Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl
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When it comes to STL interstellar travel, I do not believe that there will be an economic incentive for the investment required to exceed 0.05c. For example, you could likely send colony expeditions at 0.05c to every system within 50 ly for the cost of developing a 0.10c technology, especially if you have suspended animation. Instead, societies would monitor the colonies from a distance and only launch a new colony mission if they found evidence of a failure.
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Lets unpack that a wee bit.
What is the incentive for anyone to stay alert for the progress of ships that left 2-10 centuries ago? Will the government/civilization that spawned that colonizing effort even exist? At STL speeds there is no real hope for trade so what is the use of tracking anything?
I think that the underlying assumption that extra-solar colonization will be governed by a system wide apparatus is shaky at best. Who cares if more than one group sets out for a destination? Does a group seeking to leave the solar system need approval? The answer - either way - has an awful lot of assumptions about the future in it.