Re: Building L-5 habitats. [was Re: retrieving material from asteroids]
- From: "H2-PV NOW" <H2.PV@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 4 Mar 2006 01:17:59 -0800
Mike Combs wrote:
"H2-PV NOW" <H2.PV@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1141349628.944158.66710@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You don't have to shield the exterior completely.
You only require thicker radiation shielding mainly in the direction of
the sun.
Actually, one of the more serious threats is galactic background cosmic
rays, and unfortunately they're omnidirectional.
The sun is the threat to worry about. The side radiation is less
constant, less dense, and easier to deal with. When the sun is at
maximum the galatic cosmic radiation is at minimum because the solar
wind sweeps a lot of it away.
The closest source of air and water is of course the Earth. Why would
anybody even think of the asteroids as a first choice? Obviously, if
you have the means to loft a population requiring space habitats you
have already solved the space launch problems from Earth.
The NASA-Ames space settlement study made numerical estimates for the
tonnages of the various things required for an orbital habitat. For a 10
million ton design, they estimated that the "gas and hydrogen" would mass
21,100 tons.
Well, then, I don't like the NASA Ames study. I think I'll do my own
study.
When I do my study I begin with what I want. That determines the size
and the building materials, and determines the mass of the whole.
I don't know what NASA Ames wants and I can't speak for their figures.
The colonists themselves would only weigh 600 tons. So in
supposing that we need to get as much of our nitrogen and hydrogen from a
NEA as we can, we're assuming a space transportation system where 600 tons
lifted is no problem, but over 21 thousand tons is still a bit outside of
what we can economically afford.
When I take the 600 tons of people and average them at 150 pounds each,
I get 8,000 people.
When I take 21,000 tons divided by 40 ton payloads I get 525 trips. I'm
forseeing a fleet of spaceplanes numbering 500 making round trips every
ten days, which is 200,000 tons lifted every ten days to LEO.
Granted, there's more to it than lifting just the people (mining equipment,
refineries, etc.). But these are all expected to process many times their
own weight in construction material. So it pays to use space resources,
even if you have a STS which can launch the industrial "seeds" for
reasonable cost.
I am foreseeing vertical integration: Spaceplane fleet owned by the
company, habitats own by the company fueling infrastructure owned by
the company, Earthside and Spaceside factories owned by the company.
Spaceplanes manufactured by the company.
You can, I suppose, imagine self-sufficient people operating from Moon
bases making their needs and doing trade with space habitats. Just
imagine that extends to Earth.
Just ignore the Earthlings who want no part in it as if they didn't
exist. They won't be any help to you on the moon and they ain't any
help here on Earth.
There are lots of people who are not interested in Space. They don't
want to go there. They don't want to pay for others going there. They
don't want to help and they don't want to even think about it. They
shouldn't have to think about it. I'm never going to make them think
about it. I don't want to see anybody in space who doesn't want to go
there hard enough to get a wide and deep education they are going to
need there.
I believe in fair dealing. I have intellectual property that lots of
people need and want, and they already pay hefty money to others for
less. If people have what I need I will work out a deal with them where
we both come away feeling like we made a good trade, and each got what
we want.
I'm prepared to buy what I need but not more than I need, and just like
luna citizens I expect of myself to be independent and resourceful and
get what is needed by turning worthless raw materials into necessities
of life.
As far as the world is concerned, a few spaceports in quiet out of the
way spots, they don't even have to see 50 flights a day coming and
going from where they are. They can keep merrily blowing themselves up
with carbombs, or whatever the heck Earthlings do for recreation, and
it's their business, not mine. Just like my business is none of their
concern. The people in Chicage see 200 big flying objects coming and
going every day and it's no big deal as far as they are concerned. They
don't even look up anymore.
That is why I have made the prediction elsewhere, repeated again here,
that there will be population of over 10,000 living in habitats in L-5
and Luna orbit, plus over 100,000 in orbital cities in LEO and GEO
before the first ever useful cargo is received from Luna,
I'd have to place those the other way around. Unless the perfect asteroid
happens along on the ideal trajectory, such that we don't even use lunar
oxygen, silicon, aluminum, and iron at the start.
and before
the first practical launch is made trans-Mars.
Possibly, but I'd only say possible if our space interests become 99%
economic, and 1% scientific. Right now it's more like the other way around.
Science is cool, and I do more of it than lots of people who are paid
to do it. There are other values besides curiousity and making money.
Personally, I expect the first humans to walk on Mars well before we start
on anything near the scale of High Frontier. On the other hand, I expect
nothing on Mars beyond small expeditions sent only for scientific research
until space resources become available for use in HEO, and there is
significant manufacturing capability there.
Well, sorry to rattle your expectations. Long before anybody leaves for
Mars in a cramped tin can without bathing facilities the rumors about
my luxury liners will have reached them. We may wave to them on their
way home, as they look out their portholes thinking about their first
warm bath in five years, as we pass them in something larger than the
Queen Elizabeth. Heck, we might even invite them aboard for a
complementary jacuzzi. They're going to regret their hurry to be the
first men on Mars. Yup good old watzisname, "Stinky" I think he was
called, I'll never forget whatzisname, got in the history books, Stinky
did. Last I ever heard of Stinky he was a greeter at Walmart in
Abilene.
After all: the most abundant thing in space is "SPACE". You need to
learn how to not over-engineer if you ever want to pass the test
required for a boarding pass to get there. Space you can waste;
materials need to be used sparingly, and recycled endlessly.
This is a good point. Due to the square-cube law, bigger enclosures gain
you more usable volume more quickly than they require more building
material. So there's really no need for close quarters or confined spaces.
.
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