tori

To zero-G rec. you need to get to the center and have something there. To me this
is a killer trade. Space colonies must offer something unique and wonderful, e.g.,
0g rec. and the views. Otherwise, why not live on the ocean or in Antartica? They
have plenty of elbow room. Also, docking ports should probably be at the center of
rotation. In addition, manufacturing may wish to take advantage of various low-g
possibilities near the hub.

Ian Woollard wrote:

> Al Globus wrote:
>
> > There's a problem with tori I hadn't thought of: to minimize shielding mass you
> > need to wrap the spokes in shielding. That means they need to rotate. At
> > increases the structural strength requirements of the spokes immensely. Of
> > course, you could have the torus spin inside a stationary cylindrical shielding
> > mass, but then, why not make a thin cylinder?
>
> Why not ditch the spokes? If a cylinder can survive without them so can
> a torus can't it?
>
> > --
> > Al Globus
> > aglobus@..., (650) 604-4404
> > http://www.nas.nasa.gov/~globus/home.html
>
> --
> - Ian Woollard (ian.woollard@...)
>
> "Is a planetary surface the right place for an expanding technological
> civilization?"
> - Gerard O'Neill
>

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.