Board Thread:Show-Related Questions/@comment-75.76.70.148-20150228230924/@comment-25869525-20150301012227

Well first, they did not know if Earth would be survivable or not. That was the whole reason they sent the original 100 down in the first place, with those wristbands to monitor their vital signs.

As to why they had to float those 300 people in the culling. It was because they did not have enough vehicles to take everyone down to Earth. Even after the culling, they did not have nearly enough to accomodate everyone on board the Ark. That was why there was the hijacking of the second dropship, the one that Mt Weather caused to crash. It is also why they ultimately decided to let the Ark fall out of orbit and let chance decide who survived the crashing of the stations.