Theoretical Question on Colonisation

PsihoKekec

Swashbuckling Accountant
So let's say there is a stargate on Earth that leads to another Earth-like world with no sapient life, but documentation found alongside the gate shows that after running for a year it will shut down for fifty years. The world powers are uncharacteristically cooperative (serious ROB shenanigans suspected) and colonisation starts shifting people and equipment through the gate to this new world. The goal is to create a self-sufficient colony that will be able to sustain the late 20th century levels of technology through the fifty years of isolation. All major resources have been identified and basic equipment for their extraction and refinement will be delivered along with industrial tooling to start the manufacturing.

The question is, what would be the minimum self sustaining population to be able to keep modern day second world living standards?
This includes not only resource extraction, food growing, manufacturing, power generation and construction, but also education, healthcare, governance and other parts of service sector needed for fully functioning society.
 

Agent23

Ни шагу назад!
So let's say there is a stargate on Earth that leads to another Earth-like world with no sapient life, but documentation found alongside the gate shows that after running for a year it will shut down for fifty years. The world powers are uncharacteristically cooperative (serious ROB shenanigans suspected) and colonisation starts shifting people and equipment through the gate to this new world. The goal is to create a self-sufficient colony that will be able to sustain the late 20th century levels of technology through the fifty years of isolation. All major resources have been identified and basic equipment for their extraction and refinement will be delivered along with industrial tooling to start the manufacturing.

The question is, what would be the minimum self sustaining population to be able to keep modern day second world living standards?
This includes not only resource extraction, food growing, manufacturing, power generation and construction, but also education, healthcare, governance and other parts of service sector needed for fully functioning society.
Modern standards are a stretch IMHO, due to the massive complexity we have where economics is concerned.
Theoretically most computer equipment can be repaired if we ship them enough spares, but personally I'd forgo some niceties like consumer electronics and focus on agriculture and basic goods, like farming equipment spare parts.

Another big problem would be the geography of the other side of the gate and how that will impact the colony.
Shipping off oil drills and oil refining equipment for example will be useless if there is no oil within transportation distance.

Wooden houses with solar panels and cottage industries, with the tech level being a rough equivalent to the mid 1940s and the population being sub-million is probably the best bet.

I'd personally send off some Amish and Mormons, since the former are fine with roughing it and can be the primary builders and farmers, and the latter have the whole high fertility, high value placed on early education, and keeping 6 months worth of supply in emergencies going for them.
As to education - forget it, our modern education systems are not suited for this type of situation, with most humanitarian subjects and even some STEM fields being rendered useless.
The colony will have to focus on agriculture, basic/essential goods manufacturing, perhaps some pharmaceuticals, and construction to get a good start.
We can probably ship them a bunch of solar panels, and electric gizmos, like water heaters and ovens as well as a lot of cheap tablets with spares, but in such a situation it is IMHO better to focus on basics.
 

ATP

Well-known member
So let's say there is a stargate on Earth that leads to another Earth-like world with no sapient life, but documentation found alongside the gate shows that after running for a year it will shut down for fifty years. The world powers are uncharacteristically cooperative (serious ROB shenanigans suspected) and colonisation starts shifting people and equipment through the gate to this new world. The goal is to create a self-sufficient colony that will be able to sustain the late 20th century levels of technology through the fifty years of isolation. All major resources have been identified and basic equipment for their extraction and refinement will be delivered along with industrial tooling to start the manufacturing.

The question is, what would be the minimum self sustaining population to be able to keep modern day second world living standards?
This includes not only resource extraction, food growing, manufacturing, power generation and construction, but also education, healthcare, governance and other parts of service sector needed for fully functioning society.

send engineer battalion with families.From evry competent army.
 

ATP

Well-known member
Even they rely on a lot of pre-built stuff.They will also need agronomists and chemists and geologists.
Then gave them technology from 1950,which could be replaced in field .And add those agronomists and chemists.with families,of course.
 

Agent23

Ни шагу назад!
Then gave them technology from 1950,which could be replaced in field .And add those agronomists and chemists.with families,of course.
I still think that sending a large workpool of Amish and Mormons would be the safest bet.
 

Agent23

Ни шагу назад!
Or polish farmers.But,i would still add engineer battalion.
Those guys are IMHO better suited for colonization since the Amish shun most technology.And the mormons basically do religion-inspired prepping and breed like rabbits.
But sure, we send some poles to make "wodka" and some engineers that are ok with roughing it for a generation or two.See my first post.
 

Bassoe

Well-known member
Dude, you could have a bidding war between extremist groups over the opportunity to start over and make a society according to their beliefs with this criteria. Let the free market decide, banish some potential ideological terrorists from the planet and get rich enough to enjoy life in this world in the process.
 

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