wbpesch@ihuxp.UUCP (Walt Pesch) (01/11/84)
We talk about orbitting space stations, going to build a lunar Base,
going on manned Mars Missions, etc. It seems to me that the easiest
way to go for a long time/permanent stay in space would be through
asteroids. Wouldn't it be easier to use a low-level neuclear device
to blast a hole (cave) in an asteroid. Come back in three years. the
heat from the detonation should have fused the walls giving an
air-tight seal. Put in an airlock, and pump in air, and you have
living quarters. Put a few solar panels in on the surface, and you
have power. Crush some of the rocks, and you have soil, and plant and
you have crops. We can recycle the water, or perhaps find a water
pocket on that asteroid, or on a nearby asteroid. Does this seem so
unreasonable. I would also say that it is probable as possible to get
from here to the asteroid belt as it is to get from here to the
gravity well of Mars, and back out of the gravity well again. Well,
where are the holes in my arguement, or then why aren't they doing it?
Walt Pesch
AT&T Western Electric AT&T Technologies
ihnp4!ihuxp!wbpeschgiles@ucf-cs.UUCP (Bruce Giles) (01/12/84)
One problem is mutual support. Ideally we would have a number of fairly independent colonies close enough to offer support, if necessary. (I guess you could describe it as -- I don't want to be so close to you that whatever almost kills you almost kills me also, but I want to be close enough that whenever I am almost killed you can help keep me alive. The case of the pronouns is not insignificant). If you work through the orbital mechanics, I suspect (but do not know) that heliocentric orbits in the astroid belt cannot be in such a relationship indefinitely. That is, if we start out separated by 10k km, for instance, then unless we follow the exact same orbit (and how many of those are there?), we will tend to separate instead of pull together. Of course, for the case of geocentric and lunacentric (??) orbits, a nice separation is possible without becoming *too* separated. However, you're right back in the neighborhood of the earth, and not off by Mars, or for the adventurous, Hoboken. :-) Bruce Giles --------------------------------------- UUCP: decvax!ucf-cs!giles cs-net: giles@ucf ARPA: giles.ucf-cs@Rand-Relay ---------------------------------------