Backflow of Colonists

> <snip>

Life support is not negligible. Take a look at what it costs to take a boat
across the Pacific as opposed to an airplane... food! (or in space, food, air,
water).

> Alan E Brain wrote:

> But assuming the colony transports aren't designed for a 1-way voyage,

> But assuming the colony transports aren't designed for a 1-way voyage,

You are assuming negligible life support costs and two way transports -
perhaps drawing a long bow IMHO. No commercial transport will dead head over
interstellar distances - (Interstate trucks won't do it!), I feel that
ships would be one way and be consumed at point of termination or would be two
way
with raw product coming back  - an incredibly affluent colonisation
project
could pay for a 1/2 empty trip, but it would be unlikely that anyone is
going to be that well off and still want or need to send out colonists.
However, even if there are minimal costs involved in a return trip, most if
not all colonists are going to have literally nothing to pay for their
return trip - in addition, a colonist will not work out his/her
"unsuitablity" (for want of a better word) in a short period - it would
be
unlikely for a two way vessel to hang around for very long - after the
ship
leaves, he/she doesn't get to ring the port authority and say "I'm sorry
but I want to go home".

> Of course the colony transports might well be designed for just a

Which is how I see most colonisation projects operating.

G'day,

> an incredibly affluent colonisation project

> colonists. However, even if there are minimal costs involved in a

I was thinking slightly longer term than the initial colonisation event or
even the first decade or so, but once the colony is fully established and has
interstellar trade going on (maybe that's just my view of the GZGverse) then
I'd expect to see some backflow, though it may not be on the scales
seen around Earth (though even here some migrations are one way - my
Granddad came out and never got enough cash together to go back even for a
visit).

Cheers

Another reason for back flow, might be after 5-10 years some of the
children have grown up enough to pursue graduate studies and are sent back to
the core worlds for a graduate education that is not available on the colony
world.

--Binhan

> -----Original Message-----