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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HeavenShallBurn" data-source="post: 3969588" data-attributes="member: 39593">Big difference, goats are not designed to spin silk at all.  They had to introduce the genes responsible for protein production and hope to be able to extract usable silk from the milk produced.  Thus while if possible you would get economy from the larger scale and longer lifespan of goats Silkworms have a critical advantage.  They already produce silk via their spinnerets, actually chopping off an entire stage of processing.  The process with Silkworms involves modifying the worms to produce spidersilk naturally and would then be extracted through the same process used for creating silk for the existing silk industry.  That is a process capable of handling very large volumes, the only question is how economically can they modify large numbers of silkworms.Wasn't talking about sheets of the stuff being used as a skin graft, I was considering the potential use as an agent to toughen existing human skin.  Basically human hide is rather fragile compared to many species and it would be beneficial to change that.That's exactly how rocket belts were developed, BACK IN THE LATE 50s.  The thing is they can't be made to hold enough fuel to be practical even for those applications.  Rockets are the worst since they have to carry oxidizer with them, but even the few turbine powered prototypes couldn't hold enough fuel to stay aloft for more than about 30 seconds.  Which just isn't enough for any real-world use.  It can't replace a parachute because it doesn't have enough up-time to slow you down from terminal velocity.  It weighs so much no other gear can be carried while wearing it and it occupies the place of web-gear/load-bearing vests/etc preventing them from being used.  The utility of a few seconds of air-time is minor compared to the inability to carry other necessary equipment.  Don't take my word for it extensive testing and maneuvers were carried out in an attempt to find some niche for the technology during the cold war but it just isn't practical.  Not until you can massively stretch out flight times from where they are now.  Which was why I mentioned the ducted fan pack, it used a rotary engine and carried enough fuel for 20 minutes of flight.  That could have found some viable uses if only the company hadn't folded.</blockquote>

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