Why change people and not terraform the planet? Humans have modified environments before why change now?

• This way, as people cross the comsos, they change to fit into their new world. They won't have to wait to terraform the planet. The long voyage to the planet puts them ready to settle it. The waiting is the travel time. Why terraform a planet, if its intended inhabitants already conform to the conditions necessary for survival? -- CmAmidon - 24 Jun 2004

• A very reasonable question. To me the answer should lie in what level of technology we start with. If our mission is cobbled together with currently available technology, and launched in as a lwo tech a means as possible, then terraforming isn't an option. If it launcehs 150 to 200 years from now, then some form of terraforming may be possible. Perhaps the mission callls fro a combination of changing the individuals and changing the planet. Since we can't ever know the exact conditions until we reach there, it may well be necessary to have contingency plans which call for altering atmosphere elements and introducing human edible plants and animals. No matter what, whether planned or not, after any length of time on the new world humans will do some form of terraforming because it is our nature to make things suit us. We should keep site of this as we plan our future. -- EmptyKube - 31 Jul 2004 15:37:08