A reason to go to Mars

--- In spacesettlers, "Marcel" wrote:

> What about the 5 meters minimum of radiation shielding
> that you're going to need for that 130 to 700 tonne
> pressure-shell. Where are you going to get it from?

I was under the impression that two metres was enough. Am
I wrong about this?

> And before we invest in a large rotating simulated
> gravity structure, I think we need to know if people in
> space can actually survive without getting sick under
> long term simulated gravity conditions.

Which is why you build some 50 ton thing in LEO with
tethers long before you build some 700 ton thing. Let's
you find out such things as "is three RPM really OK?"

> But right now, we simply don't know because NASA has yet
> to launch any type of simulated gravity structures in
> orbit.

This is true. They haven't done much to see if less than
one G (planetary gravity or rotation) is healthy. We need
to test both, and the easiest way is with rotating
structures. Using tethers even lets you do a variable-G,
variable-RPM test facility.

> And since the Moon has 14 days of daylight and 14 days
> of night, nuclear power would provide power both day and
> night.
>
> Marcel F. Williams

That's true. So would a small powersat, or a couple of
other methods, but nukes are certainly one way to do it.