--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Victor Smith" wrote:
> > Maybe not, given that Earth accounts for almost half the free rocky mass in the solar system
> Of course, it's NOT "free rocky mass" unless you're planning on disassembling it to gain access before you start building your mega-shell around the remainder??

By "free rocky mass", I mean the rocky mass of the solar system that isn't encapsulated by the gas giants or the sun. Earth can be mined while habitation space exists and is being constructed.