O'Neil cylinders

Ian Woollard wrote:

> Al Globus wrote:
>
> Toruses bring their own problems, like how do you keep the torus pointing
> towards the sun? Tori need twice the shielding mass requirements. Unless
> you use active radiation shielding, but then you said you like simplicity...

don't keep the torus pointing towards the sun. Use artificial light and power
satellites to beam energy to the colony.
Shielding mass does go up, but at least that doesn't give you the kinds of failure
modes instability brings.

>
> It seems to me that the least of the problems are having to worry
> about whether two cylinders are stable or unstable, as quite basic
> overengineering can ensure that the really important stuff never
> fails and the design can have fine tuning built into it to
> remove any wobble before it really begins.

I don't share your confidence. Basic physical stability is very important.
Consider earthquakes, mud slides, avalanches, etc. These are cases where basic
physical stability breaks down.

>
> At the end of the day, habitat design is mainly about choice.
> If Al doesn't like O'Neill cylinders he certainly doesn't have
> to live in one.

for living I like cylinders. They were my favorites for years.

>

Al Globus
aglobus@..., (650) 604-4404
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/~globus/home.html

The dinosaurs weren't spacefaring. We are. I don't think that's an accident.
Maybe we are life's taxi to the stars.

I think we should:

1. Devote half of NASA's budget ($7 billion) to reaching NASA's 2020 goal of
reducing launch costs to Low-Earth-Orbit to $220/kg with a 0.01% failure rate.
This should enable space tourism. The resulting orbital hotels will need to
develop efficient orbital life support and other necessary technologies.

2. Build orbital space colonies. The materials in the largest asteroid are
sufficient for orbital colonies with a combined surface area about 500 times
greater than Earth's. Eros alone could make over ten thousand space colonies,
each with about about 10 square kilometers of 1g living area.

3. After a few generations of orbital living, people won't need their colony
to be near Sol. Then small groups of colonies with populations in the
tens-of-thousands can set out on multi-decade journeys to nearby stars.

Except the launch goals, none of this is even a little bit official.