Re: Selenites (was Re: equinox)

Steven R. Martindale wrote:
> Well, simply for health reasons they would likely need to spend extra time
> exercising and in centrifuges.  This would I expect let them go to Earth,
> even if they had been born on the moon.
Nope.  Look at our astronauts, even tho they excersize a great deal in
space, and they are very fit to begin with, they still have health
problems when they return to Earth.  Their bones have less calcium,
their muscles are atrophied, their muscles are *different* - "changing
from slow-twitch fibers that are useful for support against gravity to
faster contractile fibers, useful for rapid response." - Scientific
American, Sept. 1998.  Also, they lose blood fluid, and other changes.
Centrifuges, I suppose, might ameliorate that if they were used enough,
but I doubt they would - what would be the point?  These changes
probably don't have an effect on anyone who *stays* in space, they only
cause problems when the astronauts return to Earth.  There are problems
in zero gravity that are inherent to zero gravity, such as
redistribution of body fluids, and those would probably, to a lesser
extent, be felt in low gravity, but would they be felt by those born to
it?  I doubt it.  And we don't even know how effective excersize is in
space at preventing atrophying of muscles.  Moon-people would probably
be restricted to Moon and maybe Mars.  Earth would be too much gravity.
Besides, even if they could, would they want to?  Even if they could
survive the gravity, that gravity would be extremely uncomfortable.
Imagine going to a foreign country, and being forced to drag five times
your body weight around, even the strongest person would tire.  Unless
some form of anti-gravity is possible, Earth would be off-limits to
them.

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