Re: Space Exploitation

From: EAC (digicross_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 06/04/04 

Date: 4 Jun 2004 06:54:59 -0700

In article <anPuc.15286$Yf6.3677@bignews1.bellsouth.net>,
terry@csmgdesign.com says...
> > Is a resort hotel in orbit a possibility?

quibbler <quibbler247@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<MPG.1b27d75f7a3d4e1b98981d@news.individual.net>...
> Yeah, it's possible. Then again, look up how much the ISS cost to build.
> Do you think that you could generate enough paying customers to offset
> those kinds of costs? If you can come up with much cheaper ways of
> building living accommodations in orbit then I'm sure NASA would love to
> hear about it.

LOL! The reason on why the I.S.S. way of building and the S.T.S. were
choosen is because it cost a lot of money! And not the opposite.

Yes, N.A.S.A. would love to hear it, but they couldn't do anything to
implement it unless ordered upon so by their superiors.

> Perhaps you can use lightweight, inflatable habitation
> modules or other technologies that reduce the expense.
> BTW, please don't tell me about converting main shuttle tanks into
> living accommodations. As the song says, "That don't impress me much".

No, it isn't quite impressive. But assembling a space station would be
much easier if its modules would be as large as the S.T.S.'s E.T..

Personally, I think that converting External Tanks in orbit wouldn't
do much good. Instead they should have prepare 'External Tank'-size
modules (converting E.T. is also probable) back on Earth, launch them,
then they will be assembled in orbit, Skylab style space station.

But... the current I.S.S. is made as a place to experiment on how
humans reaction (both physically and mentally) in a small closed
enviroment in Near Earth Orbit, one of the reasons on why Mir wasn't
redesignated as the I.S.S. or at least the new I.S.S. docked to it.

So it's unlikely that E.T. size modules for space station will happen
in the near future.

And it should be noted that the recent space 'tourism' has more of
political basis than financial basis. Tito and Shuttleworth's visits
are motivated more by politics than financial, I think that their
visits are made so that more conflicts will arise and old ones stirred
up more. So an orbital hotel for tourism isn't unlikely in the near
future.

Relevant Pages

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    ... if it were not for the Space Station's odd inclination. ... This orbit was selected after an extensive study by the ... select that inclination since it's also the easiest orbit for space station ... in order to provide wide coverage for its Earth Resources Experiment Package ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)