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A friend of mine once described his submerged time on a submarine as “like prison, but without the possibility of escape.”

tpurves 3y ago
I think about that sort of description when people talk about colonizing space, or mars or the moon. Would it even be ethical to bear children on such a colony who, not by choice, would have to live their lives confined to a cramped habitat that would probably feel a lot like living in a submarine?
- elzbardico 3y ago
  At least on a spaceship you have portholes, and ocasionally could even do EVA. And probably it is far easier to ensure the integrity of a hull designed to keep an 1 atm pressure differential than at 14
  - adhesive_wombat 3y ago
    The other thing that space has going for it is that vacuum isn't salty or humid. You might have to drift quite a bit longer before rescue, however.
- monk1 3y ago
  I don't know about the ethics, but I'd argue that people still get born into terrible situations right here on earth. Think of all the children born in war-torn countries, into extreme poverty etc. Even in the midst of all this adversity, they will still find a reason to smile. And some will even make a huge impact in our world.
- Hendrikto 3y ago
  As if the majority of children on earth had it better…
- AdamN 3y ago
  We'll have Belters soon enough.
- Ekaros 3y ago
  Also isn't there some concerns if child grown in lower gravity could even properly survive on Earth? That applies at least to Moon, Mars and in space. Venus could likely be adaptable, but that is otherwise so nasty place that we will colonize it last...
fuzzfactor 3y ago
Even when you're not on duty you're still on a submarine. This kind of thing doesn't give new meaning to the concept of work-life balance, it removes all meaning completely. Other careers have an element of this which can be helpful to recognize the degree to which it just comes with the territory. On the shore side of marine cargoes you often get a client's vessel in port to visit a number of facilities around-the-clock. Keeping up with all the transfers doesn't stop until the ship finally sails, so you can end up working some 36-hour days. Not the kind of job where you get to go home from work every single day. On the sub they don't get to go home from work (or go anywhere else) every single month. And then there's the truly more negative aspects than that.

tpurves 3y ago

I think about that sort of description when people talk about colonizing space, or mars or the moon. Would it even be ethical to bear children on such a colony who, not by choice, would have to live their lives confined to a cramped habitat that would probably feel a lot like living in a submarine?

elzbardico 3y ago
At least on a spaceship you have portholes, and ocasionally could even do EVA. And probably it is far easier to ensure the integrity of a hull designed to keep an 1 atm pressure differential than at 14
- adhesive_wombat 3y ago
  The other thing that space has going for it is that vacuum isn't salty or humid. You might have to drift quite a bit longer before rescue, however.
monk1 3y ago
I don't know about the ethics, but I'd argue that people still get born into terrible situations right here on earth. Think of all the children born in war-torn countries, into extreme poverty etc. Even in the midst of all this adversity, they will still find a reason to smile. And some will even make a huge impact in our world.
Hendrikto 3y ago
As if the majority of children on earth had it better…
AdamN 3y ago
We'll have Belters soon enough.
Ekaros 3y ago
Also isn't there some concerns if child grown in lower gravity could even properly survive on Earth? That applies at least to Moon, Mars and in space. Venus could likely be adaptable, but that is otherwise so nasty place that we will colonize it last...

fuzzfactor 3y ago

Even when you're not on duty you're still on a submarine. This kind of thing doesn't give new meaning to the concept of work-life balance, it removes all meaning completely. Other careers have an element of this which can be helpful to recognize the degree to which it just comes with the territory. On the shore side of marine cargoes you often get a client's vessel in port to visit a number of facilities around-the-clock. Keeping up with all the transfers doesn't stop until the ship finally sails, so you can end up working some 36-hour days. Not the kind of job where you get to go home from work every single day. On the sub they don't get to go home from work (or go anywhere else) every single month. And then there's the truly more negative aspects than that.