Another huge issue not mentioned here is radiation. There would have to be significant shielding (without some other future tech) that would just add to an already huge engineering undertaking.

The last bit was jarring for me. I still love that book, but it felt like two separate novels back-to-back.

What are you suggesting is racist about the study? Note that simply "minority populations" is not what is being discussed here, but specifically "people excluded due to their ethnicity or race".