kevin@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Kevin S. Van Horn) (01/20/89)
In article <1989Jan18.160559.2021@cs.rochester.edu> dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) writes: >[...] I consider it obvious that existing >technology is inadequate by orders of magnitude to the task of >building a space colony. According to my sources existing technology *is* more or less adequate to the task of building space colonies -- at least there are no "show-stoppers" --, it's just that they're not *affordable*. What's needed is cheaper space transportation, more experience working in space, and a good economic motive for building them. Kevin S. Van Horn
dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) (01/20/89)
>According to my sources existing technology *is* more or less adequate >to the task of building space colonies -- at least there are no >"show-stoppers" --, it's just that they're not *affordable*. What's >needed is cheaper space transportation, more experience working in >space, and a good economic motive for building them. I consider orders of magnitude too expensive == inadequate by orders of magnitude. We don't need experience if that experience will not be applied for decades. Consider all the experience gained in Apollo, and subsequently lost, because it wasn't "steam engine time". Paul F. Dietz dietz@cs.rochester.edu