We are way bleeping far away from colonizing space...
The problem that low gravity significantly accelerates aging isn't often mentioned but it serves as a pretty decisive hindrance.
I mean, even a permanent settlement is a long way from colonization. We have permanent bases on Antarctica. We aren't planning to colonize any time soon.
That part of the Jetsons will have to wait...
Interesting. Sources?
http://weboflife.nasa.gov/currentResearch/currentResearchGen...
"The lack of gravity during space flight affects living things in a variety of ways. A number of these mimic common effects of aging."
Puts it very nicely. Perhaps the space scientists don't want scare people about going into space.
Also, more googling for you:
www.joanvernikos.com/uploads/space_and_aging.pdf
As the duration of space flight missions has increased, many other symptoms related in particular to being away from gravity have been observed. They include a kind of anemia due to reduced red cell mass, muscle atrophy and reduced strength of those muscles that keep the body upright, loss of calcium from bones, reduced bone density and strength, reduced calcium absorption from the gut, disturbed sleep and a depressed immune system. These are all normal body function adaptations that occur when away from gravity. Degradation of body functions no longer needed in space is the normal adaptation to living away from gravity.
-- Simulates the effects of aging...
OK, these are pretty bad, but they're not literally cancer. My space-age dreams live on.
With the things are going, you're more like to download yourself to a computer and then go into orbit than human society is to put biological human very far into space.
This should be testable on Earth with people kept in bed 23 h/day and mild exercise. (It is like quite a few coding people's lifestyle.)
Come to think of it, we already have colonies on the ocean floor, they're called oil rigs, and they're economically viable. I wouldn't want to live there, though.