The number could be significantly higher, since genetics might not be the limit at all. The true question is how many people it takes to maintain the complete p

The number could be significantly higher, since genetics might not be the limit at all. The true question is how many people it takes to maintain the complete production line of our computers, from dirt and water to boards and chips. Anybody interested in interstellar colonization topic (and in particular the question of how to get hundreds of thousands of colonists there) might also want to read "Neptune's Brood" by Charles Stross. The society and mechanics he describes are so far the most realistic I have ever seen. Don't want to spoil anything, but according to him, the squishy biological stuff might not be up to the job.