# What to do with with dead bodies on Generation Ships **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 14, 2023, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-with-dead-bodies-on-generation-ships/985514 "2023-06-14T17:58:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 149
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-with-dead-bodies-on-generation-ships/985514/149 "2023-06-21T19:08:48Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > How about a system of robotic probes, each of which carries frozen embryos. If a planet is not found suitable for humans the robots just develop it for resources and discard the embryos. If one of the probes lands on a planet that humans could survive on, the robots create habitats, birthing and raising facilities, etc. Once all are complete, hatch the embryos. Years ago I devised a list of different interstellar strategies, and this one was on that list. I called this strategy **seed ships** ; you can send a lot of biological material to another system in the form of seeds, including humans, but you need to include autonomous devices that can take the place of parents and teachers on arrival. Not easy. I assumed that spacecraft would never travel much faster than 0.1c, because anything else requires far too much energy. But this assumption may one day be unfounded. The full list is as follows; 1/ **Methuselah ships**. The problem with interstellar travel is it takes too long. If we can extend human lifetimes by an arbitrary amount then humans could get to the stars in a single lifetime. This strategy requires advances in technology not yet available, but that is true of all of them. 2/ **Sleeper ships**. Freeze people (or otherwise suspend their metabolism) and wake them up on arrival. Same objection as #1. 3/ **Generation ships**. We are discussing these at the moment. To make a generation ship work well, you need a lot more mass, and this implies that the acceleration and final cruising speed will be a lot slower. If you do your sums right, the generation ship can transport a lot of people to the destination, but it takes a lot longer. 4 / **Seed Ships** ; I assumed that biological seeds could be transported much more cheaply than entire humans or entire animals, so you could send a lot more ships. But cultivating the seeds at the destination requires a lot of not-invented-yet tech, and competent robots. 5/ **Data only ships** - this means just sending robots, AIs and comprehensive databases to the stars, and forget about sending humans until the robots are ready to receive them. Trouble is, the robots might not want to be bothered with humans, and just defer their arrival indefinitely. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-with-dead-bodies-on-generation-ships/985514)._