From: utzoo!decvax!cca!MINSKY@MIT-OZ@sri-unix Newsgroups: net.space Title: L-5 Article-I.D.: sri-unix.3231 Posted: Sat Sep 11 09:17:21 1982 Received: Sun Sep 12 03:02:48 1982 From: Marvin MinskyThe Pro-Space organizations have different goals and foci, so they are not equivalent. L-5, for example, is particularly interesting to me because its board aspires to make space colonies happen some day. I regard that as important, not just for scientific reasons but because I'm dubious that high-tech humans can survive on one planet throughout the current transition from pre- to post-technology. Probably members of the Planetary Society also share such concerns as individuals, but not so much in their highest level organization goals, which emphasize science. L-5's national meeting did indeed have a high technical content, and was attended by space-involved people of large influence and imagination. I am on L-5's board because it attracts technical people interested in projects like starship design and practical colony-launching schemes. Also, the different space clubs may also reflect different political orientations. This may affect your preference for what to join. My priority is to make it feasible that some humans survive the forthcoming possible disasters, and because one can't predict what politics will evolve in the colonies, I don't consider that aspect so important. In the long run, "better live than dead". -------