Bitcoinās block time of 10 minutes is well-tuned for block propagation Earth-wide, but it is too short for solar system scale.
Which is the better solution for our eventual, space-fairing civilization:
1. Start a separate chain with a longer block time for interplanetary settlement.
2. Increase the block time of the main chain.
#asknostr #Bitcoin
What kind of unobtainium is worth trading between systems?
(Right now, somewhere on the internet, someone is building an Unobtainium altcoin, with a block time of a gigasecond and using on of monero's cast-off hashing algorithms)
IIRC, the moon has helium-3, which would be useful in fusion reactors. Saturn may also. Iād have to reread āThe Case for Spaceā to list others. https://www.amazon.com/Case-Space-Revolution-Spaceflight-Possibility/dp/B08CVTJ1BM
Start a side chain on every planet to which you can peg-in Bitcoin.
Check out Dhruv Bansalās Bitcoin Astronomy.
One of the great selling points of Bitcoin is universality. Itās global, fair money.
A solar system scale coin (with long block time) could make the same argument. Yes, each planetoid could spin up their own short-time-block local chain, which would give them a measure of independence, much like fiat currencies compete today.
But the long-time-block chain would offer system-wide settlement without miner centralization.
Mars will unfortunately mint shitcoins.
Honestly though, if weāre talking this long of a timescale, I would think the base layer wouldnāt be used for earthly or space fairing commerce anyway.
Orā¦
Interplanetary travel does to bitcoin what electricity/telecommunications did to gold, making it slow and inefficient compared to space credits, thus starting a future fiat cycle.
Then, just when all hope is lostā¦
A young and intrepid psydonomous hero named Tashaki Nakamoro cracks the code and is able to harness the ultimate power of star energy and teleportation through wormholes to create Star Corn.
[Cue Fanfare Music]
Not an issue since space is fake af.
If we are to "conquer the space" we better come up with a near-instant communication system. Otherwise there will be a lag of ~4.6 hours in our coms being just as close (in space scale) as Pluto - if we use laser beams or other light base coms. That might be OK for exploration, but not really suitable for space colonization. Unless the plan is just creating unconnected colonies, at which point every colony can run their own fork and nobody would give a fuck about what the others are running.
Once you solve that problem, you've solved the 10 min/block problem, since you can use the near-instant system to keep the blockchain in sync all the time.
Thatās a question for my great great great grandkids. My guess would be some side chain that settles over longer block times though
Space/Time generally is going to be a problem for #bitcoin. Iām not sure itās as interplanetary as we think.
