Monthly Archives: June 2017

Bitcoin Goes Berserk – Seeking Alpha

Posted: June 1, 2017 at 10:17 pm

The price of Bitcoin is up 19% since I wrote about cryptocurrencies just two days ago. In two days! Oh wait, no it isn't. It's just fallen 11% in the past couple of hours. This is classic bubble stuff, meaning the price could skyrocket further or collapse in the blink of an eye. Whether or not you own Bitcoin, today I have some ideas about what to do now.

Bitcoin's price was $2,250 (US dollars) when I wrote on Tuesday (see here). When I looked a couple of hours ago it was $2,685. At the time of writing it's $2,396, down 11% from the earlier reading. At your time of reading it could be anywhere.

The world of cryptocurrencies is back in full hype and bubble mode. Wences Casares, the CEO of bitcoin wallet Xapo and a member of the PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) board, is reported to have said the Bitcoin price will go to $1 million in the next five to ten years.

Later on I'll come back to whether this suspiciously round, attention grabbing and huge number makes any sense. For now let's just accept that there's plenty of hype and nonsense floating around.

This seems like an apt time to bring out a famous chart of the stages in a speculative bubble. It was produced by Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue at the Hofstra University in New York many moons ago.

Bitcoin and other cryptos look like they're somewhere in the mania phase at the momentin Bitcoin's case it's the third time already since it was sparked into existence in October 2008. But each time dizzying delusion was followed by depths of despair it turned out to be temporary. Higher lows and higher highs followedat least so far.

Of course, Bitcoin was something genuinely brand new when it appeared. It's money, but not as we knew it. So the people involved were and are a different crowd to past manias. Still human though, and hence still prone to the same human foibles and vices.

Who's blowing the bitcoin bubbles?

In this case the "smart money" in the chart's stealth phase was a ragtag group of tech savvy anarchists and anti-banksters. Likewise the "institutional investors" don't feature in Bitcoin world. Instead they're replaced by fringe financiers, the odd venture capitalist, and libertarian leaning technophiles.

As for the "public", forget about it. Yes, there are more and more individuals buying cryptos, but they're still a tiny minority. At least in relation to, say, the mania around dot com stocks in the late '90s. But during each Bitcoin boom and bust cycle more people in more countries are drawn in. At least so far.

Here's what they looked like:

It seems pretty clear that Bitcoin is once again in the mania phase of the cycle. But where exactly in the mania phase? I'm guessing "Greed", "Delusion" or "New Paradigm".

But it's hard to know how far we are from the tipping point. In the coming days and weeks, the price could rocket to $4,000, or $6,000, or $10,000. Or it could sink over coming weeks and months to $1,500$1,200$800.

Nobody - and I mean nobody - knows what happens next. No self-proclaimed guru. No independent analyst. No hopeful speculator. No regretful latecomer to the party. Not you. Not me. Nobody.

But that doesn't stop more and more outlandish claims and self-interested hype. Like Seor Casares (he's Argentine) and his outlandish claim that the Bitcoin price should hit $1 million in five to ten years.

Million dollar Bitcoinreally?

Of course he could be right. But I'm going to have a stab at seeing whether it's likely, using nothing but common sense. Here goes

Currently there are 16.3 million Bitcoins, and I estimate this will reach around 19 million in five year's time. The growth rate slows down as the ultimate limit of 21 million approaches.

If a single Bitcoin is worth $1 million then all Bitcoin would be worth $19 trillion. In the past article I showed that Bitcoin was 46% of the total value of all cryptocurrencies, which in total were worth $80.3 billion.

On the (perhaps generous) assumption that Bitcoin maintains its market share, in the face of unlimited crypto competition, that implies the total crypto market would be worth $41.3 trillion when Bitcoin is priced at $1 million.

According to estimates by Credit Suisse, total global household wealth was $256 trillion in 2016, of which $157 trillion was financial assets. Wealth has grown at an average 5% a year since 2000. Assuming that growth rate continues, total household financial assets would be around $200 trillion in five year's time.

Financial assets include bank deposits (and a little physical cash), stocks, bonds, investment funds, precious metals and so on. For Bitcoin and other cryptos ("Altcoins") to take off they basically have to replace a large piece of bank deposits.

A necessary condition of anyone getting involved with cryptos is that they have internet access. Even today around half of the world's population is offline completely. And many of those supposedly online don't have regular and easy access, so perhaps the true percentage of people with regular and easy internet access is only 35-40%. It keeps growing, but still has a long way to go.

Of course most of those without access are poor, meaning they control little wealth. The combined household wealth of North America, Europe and Asia Pacific is 85% of the total. Strip out the poorer parts of Asia and let's say cryptos' potential market consists of people that control roughly 75% of global wealth.

That indicates $150 trillion of relevant financial assets in five year's time (75% of $200 trillion). Americans have just under 20% of their financial assets in deposits, Europeans just over 40%. Add in wealthy countries from Asia Pacific, in particular Japan, and let's say 35% of those financial assets are bank deposits. That comes to $52.5 trillion.

In other words, if the Bitcoin price hits $1 million then all Bitcoins would be equivalent to 36% of the bank deposits of people with the internet ($19 trillion divided by $52.5 trillion). And if Bitcoin has the same market share of all cryptos at that time as it has now, then all cryptos would be equivalent to 79% of those bank deposits ($41.3 trillion divided by $52.5 trillion).

My numbers are just rough estimates. Even so, looked at this way it becomes pretty clear that $1 million Bitcoin is a fantasy. Like me becoming an astronaut at the age of 45 and both coming from and living in a country with no space programme.

A couple of days ago all 16.3 million current Bitcoins were worth $37 billion. Making the same assumptions as above, current bank deposits of people with internet access would be $41.2 trillion.

That means Bitcoin is equivalent to about 0.09% of potentially convertible household deposits. Put another way, that deposit base is about 1,100 times bigger than the value of all Bitcoins.

What if, in five years, it gets to 1%, or 1-in-100? Which is to say 11 times its market share of relevant household deposits today? That would be $525 billion, split across those 19 million projected future Bitcoins, giving a price close to $28,000.

That's still over 11 times today's price, but it's a hell of a long way from $1 million. It's also not a prediction. I'm just trying to show a more realistic potential level. But don't forget that Bitcoin faces plenty of new competition, most recently from Ripple and Ethereum.

Where does it go from here?

Personally I don't think that cryptocurrencies will replace fiat currencies in a meaningful way. At least not for a very, very long time. Instead, governments and banks will come up with ways to use cryptos' blockchain technology - the wizardry that makes it all function - to improve fiat currency transaction infrastructure.

That said cryptos will probably have a larger niche than today. But my guess is it will still be a niche, and life will be viciously competitive within that niche. Picking winners and losers will be hard, and the ride will be wildly volatile.

In these bubbly times, here's what I recommend you should do today, depending on your situation:

One final thing. The whole crypto world is a prime location for fraudsters. Crooks swarm towards bubbly markets and the prospect of easy money like flies to doo doo. Always have. Always will. It's even easier to get away with when you can wrap everything up in high falutin' techno babble.

Most crypto websites are packed with serious sounding jargon, ideological fluffiness, pretty pictures and general hype. But a great many provide no or few details of who's involved or where they are in the world. They just hover in the internet ether.

When the greedy humans behind some of them run off with their customers' money, as has happened already and is bound to happen again, there will be little recourse. As with all things, caveat emptor ("buyer beware").

As Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies go berserk make sure you ignore the more outlandish claims made by their cheerleaders. Even so there's still a good chance many prices rise substantially in future, even if there's a crash in between. View all cryptos as speculation and good luck if you choose to get involved.

Editor's Note: This article covers one or more stocks trading at less than $1 per share and/or with less than a $100 million market cap. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

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Bitcoin Goes Berserk - Seeking Alpha

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Britain’s largest broker offers bitcoin investment – Telegraph.co.uk

Posted: at 10:17 pm

Danny Coxof Hargreaves Lansdownsaid: "We have seen a handful of clients asking for the ETN, so its not purely driven by a provider wanting to be listed [on the Hargreaves platform]. We are making it available to self-select investors in the same way we offer access to around 3,000 other exchange-traded funds, notes and commodities."

Hargreaves customers can hold the bitcoin investment in their self-invested personal pension(Sipp) or a normal broking account.

Mr Cox added that Hargreaves already allowed investors to access the Bitcoin Investment Trust. The$389m fund isrun by Grayscale Investments, which specialises in "crypto-currencies".

"By adding self-service, online dealing, the team at Hargreaves Lansdown is providing UK investors with professional and quick access to bitcoin in the UK and greater Europe," saidRyan Radloff, XBT's head of investor relations.

Crypto-currencies came to noticefollowing the launch of bitcoinby a developer under the pseudonym ofSatoshi Nakamotoin 2009. Online currencies are beyond the control of the worlds central banks and allow anonymous transactions. They operate using a digital ledger of transactions known as a blockchain.

The price of bitcoin has surged since the start of the year.Its price indollar terms has more than doubledfrom less than $900 to more than $2,400 today. Currently one bitcoin equals 1,902, 2,145or $2,422, according to CryptoCompare.com.

The currency also hit the headlines last monthwhen the hackers behind the WannaCry cyber attack that took down parts of theNHS IT system demanded ransom payments in bitcoin. The currency has long been linked to the online underworld.

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SpaceX delays launch that will send supplies to the space station in a reused Dragon – Los Angeles Times

Posted: at 10:16 pm

SpaceX scrubbed its attempt to launch a previously-used Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station due to weather.

The launch, originally scheduled for Thursday at 2:55 p.m. Pacific time from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is now aimed at Saturday at 2:07 p.m. Pacific time.

Space X hopes to add another item to its list of reusable launch system components by launching supplies to the International Space Station on the Dragon spacecraft.

The Dragon capsule for this mission was previously used in 2014 to carry supplies to the space station. For this launch, it will be filled with almost 6,000 pounds of crew supplies, hardware and science research, including equipment to study neutron stars.

In preparation for the flight, the Hawthorne space company replaced some parts on the Dragon, such as the heat shield. But the majority of the components, including the hull and thrusters, were able to be reused, said Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of mission assurance at SpaceX.

The majority of this Dragon has been in space before, he said during a prelaunch press conference Wednesday afternoon.

SpaceX will also attempt to land the first-stage booster in its Landing Zone 1 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Dragon spacecraft is expected to deploy about 10 minutes after launch and should arrive at the space station about three days later. The spacecraft is expected to return to Earth in July, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

Reusing a Dragon capsule is one more piece of the puzzle in creating a fully reusable launch system, said Marco Caceres, senior space analyst at the Teal Group.

In March, SpaceX achieved one of its longtime goals by using a previously-flown first-stage booster to launch a commercial communications satellite and then re-landing that booster on a floating platform at sea.

During that same mission, the company successfully recovered the rockets fairing, a clamshell-like covering that protects satellites and other payloads. Koenigsmann said SpaceX will not attempt to recover the fairing on this mission; the company later clarified, saying thats because there is no fairing this time.

Successful reuse of the Dragon capsule would be significant for SpaceXs materials technology, but in general, the spacecraft reuse is less significant than that of the booster, which required more cutting-edge technology to be able to land upright, Caceres said.

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk has said the first-stage booster is the most expensive part of the rocket. Company President Gwynne Shotwell has said launch costs could eventually decrease by 30% by reusing rockets.

Thursdays mission will be SpaceXs seventh launch of the year as the company has increased its launch cadence. Last year, SpaceX launched a total of eight missions before a launch-pad explosion that destroyed a rocket and commercial satellite, grounding the company for several months.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

Twitter: @smasunaga

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UPDATES:

3:15 p.m.: This article was updated with SpaceXs announcement of a launch delay.

6:50 a.m.: This article was updated with a clarification about why there will be no fairing recovery.

This article was originally published at 6 a.m.

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Camden Fairview students’ science experiment going to International Space Station – KATV

Posted: at 10:16 pm

Pictured from left to right: Hope Hesterly, Piper Fain, Alexis Bryant & Lexi Betts, ninth grade students at Camden-Fairview High School whose student experiment is headed into orbit in 2017. (Photo: KATV)

A science experiment made by ninth graders at the Camden Fairview School District is taking a trip to space.

The Camden Fairview "Student Spaceflights Experiments Program" Team traveled to the Kennedy Space Center to see their experiment lift off on the SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS-11 as it heads to the International Space Station on Saturday. The rocket, which was first scheduled to launch Thursday, will also carry the ISS resupply and science investigations.

The experiment entitled, "Testing the Formation of a Polymer in Microgravity," will be tested by astronauts on the International Space Station and then sent back to students for analysis.

The Student Spaceflights Experiments Program had students compete to create research proposals and have those proposals vetted by a review board. Students worked in groups to develop their experiments and presented their proposals to a panel at the local level, dwindling the experiments to a select few to be chosen by the review board in Maryland.

The chosen experiment was designed by Lexi Betts, Alexis Bryant, Piper Fain, Hope Hesterly and Trey Jeffus. The students' teacher was Hannah O'Dell.

The program says a control experiment will be conducted on the Camden Fairview campus while astronauts perform their experiment in space according to the proposal's instructions.

This is the first time a student experiment from Arkansas is going up with the Student Spaceflights Experiments Program.

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Mice in Space: Taconic Mice Included on Launch to International … – GlobeNewswire (press release)

Posted: at 10:16 pm

June 01, 2017 14:44 ET | Source: Taconic Biosciences

HUDSON, N.Y., June 01, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launches today bound for the International Space Station, they will be joined by 40 special mice, bred specifically for this mission by Taconic Biosciences, a global leader in genetically engineered mouse models and associated services.

The project is a collaboration between the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), BioServe, and NASA. For this mission, named Rodent Research-5, the Taconic mice support research lead by Dr. Chia Soo, professor of surgery at UCLA Schools of Dentistry, Engineering and Medicine. The study leverages the molecule NELL-1, a protein produced by the human body that is critical for normal bone growth and development.

OnJune 1, 40 mice treated with NELL-1 will be launched to the International Space Station to test whether the presence of the molecule impedes the typical bone loss associated with microgravity. Reduced gravity in space accelerates the natural process of bone loss. The live mice will return to earth to undergo further evaluation by Dr. Soos team after their time in microgravity. The team hopes to use findings to develop therapies that prevent bone loss, and further grow and strengthen bone in humans.

Taconic Biosciences history with the space program dates back to 1985, when the first Taconic mice went into space. More recently, we have supported rodent research missions with CASIS where rodents spent extended periods of time on the International Space Station. This helped scientists develop the initial understanding of the effects of microgravity on bone loss and muscle wasting, shared Dr. Gretchen Kusek, scientific program manager with Taconic.

As managers of the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, we are constantly working with researchers to break down barriers and unlock discoveries not possible through earth-based experimentation, said CASIS director of operations Ken Shields. Rodent research on the space station has the capacity to assist in novel understanding of bone density loss and muscle wasting, which could lead to enhanced drug development for us here on our planet. Taconic Biosciences has proven to be an invaluable collaborator in this important research and we look forward to working together on many future ISS National Laboratory missions.

Taconic is a fully-licensed provider of rodent model generation services and has twenty years of model design experience. Taconics unique capability of providing a seamless transition from model design to breeding and colony management, offers customers a complete solution. These scientific services include acquiring or generating, importing, licensing, breeding, testing, preparing, and distributing genetically engineered models to any location worldwide as well as into space.

To learn more about Taconic's custom model generation, please call 1-888-TACONIC (888-822-6642) in the US, or +45 70 23 04 05 in Europe, or email info@taconic.com.

About Taconic Biosciences, Inc.

Taconic Biosciences is a fully-licensed, global leader in genetically engineered rodent models and services. Founded in 1952, Taconic helps biotechnology companies and institutions acquire, custom generate, breed, precondition, test, and distribute valuable research models worldwide. Specialists in genetically engineered mouse and rat models, precision research mouse models, and integrated model design and breeding services, Taconic operates three service laboratories and six breeding facilities in the U.S. and Europe, maintains distributor relationships in Asia and has global shipping capabilities to provide animal models almost anywhere in the world.

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Spy satellite SpaceX launched might buzz the space station – CNET – CNET

Posted: at 10:16 pm

The secret spy satellite that SpaceX launched May 1 is currently on a curious trajectory, according to the calculations of an amateur spy satellite tracker. It appears it might pass near the International Space Station right around the time a SpaceX Dragon capsule will be preparing to dock with the ISS this weekend.

Amateur spy satellite tracker Marco Langbroek shared the above predictive model showing the satellite, which launched as NROL-76 and is now known as USA 276, could pass within as little as 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of the ISS. In fact, based on its current path, the satellite could make several close approaches to the space station on Saturday and Sunday, according to a chart that Langbroek shared in a blog post Tuesday.

Langbroek is a member of an experienced community of amateur satellite spotters who have been tracking the spy satellite since it was first identified in orbit last week. Last year, he managed to capture a video of the space station's lost thermal shield zipping through space after it got away from astronauts during a spacewalk.

USA 276 could alter its path at any moment and wind up never coming anywhere near the ISS. In fact, Langbroek makes it clear to readers of his post that he's the first to admit it's all "very speculative." He also notes that "the calculated distances in the table have quite some uncertainty, perhaps by a factor of 2 or more."

But if the National Reconnaissance Office, which contracted with SpaceX to launch USA 276, is looking to buzz the space station, what gives? Some speculate it could be about testing new technologies for inspecting other satellites or monitoring docking events in space, like the Dragon resupply mission set for Sunday.

That would be a little weird, though, to test a spy technology on a space station that is a symbol of international cooperation and transparency between not only NASA, but the space agencies from Russia, Japan, Europe and others.

"I still don't know what to think of this all," writes Langbroek. "Are these figments of my imagination or is there really something going on here? I am at a loss."

The National Reconnaissance Office didn't respond to a request for comment.

Are we entering a new and bizarre era of spying in space? Maybe we'll find out this weekend, or maybe we'll never know.

Technically Literate: Original works of short fiction with unique perspectives on tech, exclusively on CNET.

Crowd Control: A crowdsourced science fiction novel written by CNET readers.

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Montreal flag floats aboard International Space Station for city’s 375th anniversary – Globalnews.ca

Posted: at 10:16 pm

;

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet flies Montreal's flag aboard the International Space Station. June 1, 2017.

After spending almost 200 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), French astronaut Thomas Pesquet wanted to share his enthusiasm for Montreals 375th anniversary.

In a video uploaded to YouTube, Pesquet unfolded Montreals flag and proudly let it float in the micro-gravity environment.

I wish you a happy 375th birthday from the International Space Station, he declared in the video.

READ MORE:Astronauts to make emergency space walk outside International Space Station

Pesquet returns to Earth June 2 and said he is excited to return to the city he has called home for the last 10 years.

He also took the opportunity to announce aunique public concert to be held at the foot of Mount Royal on August 19.

READ MORE:Satellite created by University of Alberta team to take next step in out-of-this-world endeavour

It will feature free performances from the Orchestre Symphonique de Montral, the Orchestre Mtropolitain, and the McGill Symphony Orchestra.

Over 300 musicians, pop artists and choral singers will share the stage to celebrate the citys 375th anniversary.

2017Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Students Video Chat With Astronauts Aboard Space Station – Utah Public Radio

Posted: at 10:16 pm

Click here for the full story from UPR.

For a short time on May 19th, Utah students had the opportunity to speak with astronauts orbiting 250 miles above earths surface on the International Space Station.

"Well connectivity is everything, right? I mean, these students today are studying science and math and wondering where it leads. And they get to see and hear from those that are using it every day to great productive advantage. And it gives them the inspiration to think maybe this isnt as boring as it appears in the book, and maybe there is something to this. The biggest gift in life is discovering a talent that comes from your passion and being able to be productive with it. So thats what this is about, is making sure that students have an opportunity to see where things can go. I never dreamed I could be an astronaut -- I loved the idea -- but it actually happened. And they can see that they could have that happen to them too."

-- Former astronaut Charlie Precourt

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International Space Station provides photo of Grand Canyon … – WTNH Connecticut News (press release)

Posted: at 10:16 pm

(CNN) Its not your ordinary snapshot. The International Space Station provided a photo of the Grand Canyon.

It was taken by the Sally Ride EarthKAM.

Middle school students control the camera, and take pictures as the Space Station crisscrosses the globe.

By the way, if youd like to take a shot from the space station, middle school students and teachers can sign up at the EarthKAM website. Thats earthkam.org.

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Autonomous Martian Colony: A Pipe Dream or Future Reality? – Sputnik International

Posted: at 10:15 pm

The colonization ofMars is one ofthe most daring and audacious human endeavors the greatest minds ofour time are trying tobring intoreality. The Mars Society, established in1998, has now become the world's largest and most influential space advocacy organization dedicated tothe human exploration and settlement ofthe planet Mars, withmore than6,000 members from50 countries aroundthe world. People voluntarily live ina desert, conduct experiments and exploration campaigns, improve needed skills and strategies and leave their station only wearing space suits this is how a human Martian colony has modeled inUtah.

Another station, which is NASA's Mars project, is located beyondthe Arctic Circle, inthe Haughton impact crater onDevon Island, Canada. Geological and glacial features ofthis island are close tothe Martian ones, and its daytime temperatures are similar tothe "summer" temperatures onthe Red Planet.

But could people create an autonomous colony onMars now, using only the technologies mankind has atthe moment? Would those pioneers be able tolive inthe proper conditions?

"To establish the colony, which would be entirely self-contained, would be very difficult right now. In the first decades, such a colony would entirely depend onsupplies fromEarth. They will be inneed offood, spare parts forsophisticated equipment and building materials," said Aleksandr Smoleevsky, a researcher atthe Institute ofBiomedical Problems ofthe Russian Academy ofSciences, who was a member ofthe Mars-500 program in2010-2011 duringa 520-day psychosocial isolation experiment conducted bythe Russian space agency Roscosmos, the European ESA and China.

"Almost all scientific experiments onthe creation ofa ground-based autonomous colony have failed one way or another. Only two ofthem were more or less successful: BIOS-3, a Soviet experiment ofthe 1970s, when a crew ofthree managed tosurvive six months, offsetting upto 50 percent oftheir demand forfood bytheir own forces; and Lunar Palace 1 carried outby China in2014," Smoleevsky told Sputnik.

Sputnik/ A. Belonogov

Five-month experiment at "Bios-3" station, conducted by the Krasnoyarsk Institute of Biophysics, USSR Academy of Sciences, during which research in space biophysics was carried out

STR

Student volunteers are seen inside the Lunar Palace 1, a laboratory simulating a lunar-like environment, in Beijing on May 10, 2017.

Another large-scale experiment, American Biosphere 2, which simulated a closed ecological system, has practically failed. It was a massive structure built bySpace Biosphere Ventures and Texas billionaire Edward Bass inthe Arizona desert. The construction occupied an area ofone and a half hectare (15,000 square meters), withseven climate zones arranged there: they had their own mountains, a savanna, a desert, a swamp and even a little ocean upto 10 meters in-depth, witha living coral reef.

AP Photo/ John Miller

This 1991 picture shows the Biosphere 2 complex in the desert near Oracle, Ariz.

However, they failed tocalculate all the possible scenarios. For example, the experimentalists hadn't considered the uncontrolled growth ofmicroorganisms. As a result, bacteria and fungi multiplied, absorbed too much oxygen, so that an additional portion ofgas had tobe pumped forother organisms tosurvive. Ants and cockroaches also bred inlarge numbers. In addition, water condensed onthe glass roof inthe morning, and an artificial rain was pouring. Moreover, the researchers did not take intoconsideration such a phenomenon asthe wind: it turned outthat trees become fragile and break withoutregular swinging.

Biosphere 2 from the inside

Aleksandr Smoleevsky also highlighted some other very important problems that hinder the creation ofan autonomous colony onMars. "The colony has tobe provided withspecialists invarious spheres, such asengineers, technicians and doctors, aslong asa great number ofproblems will have tobe solved. But it is impossible toforesee what professionals will be necessary most ofall. Moreover, there may be some loss duringa long flight. And another problem is the compatibility ofthe first colonists withthose who will arrive onMars later," he explained.

"Women's issues" is likely torise inthe first Martian settlement, too, Bozhko believes. "Perhaps the first colonies must be formed exclusively bymen, and women should be sent later. Female colonizers will have tosacrifice their procreation fora lifetime. Several generations ofwomen will be forced tobecome likemen and just work. Children could be sent toMars asteenagers, butit will be impossible tobring them upwith very small amounts ofwater, the dangers ofbacteriological contamination and a lack ofthe right atmosphere. This situation may last fordecades or even centuries," he said.

"I think the first woman, who will successfully give birth onMars, will become history forstarting new kinds of 'protein bodies' inthe universe," Bozhko concluded.

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