Stopping By

Hey back,
What would be the purpose of placing a colony opposite the sun from Earth? Oh, and there was a story...Double Planet or somesuch.
You really are taking on a big job if youre gonna somehow sweep all the Belt Asteroids into one small volume of space (and I guess if we had the power to do that we could prettty much choose the orbit in which we wanted it to come together), and then figure how to get it to accrete rather than remain a pack of boulders. Maybe we have to grab a few moons for the mix if the mass isnt sufficient to start the core fires. Or maybe we could blow a number of nukes in the center of the pack, but wed have to come up with some way to stop the concussion from blowing the whole concatenation apart.

I prefer the alternative of mining the asteroids out in the vacuum where I can get at the resources easily, process it on site, and use onsite materials as a base until a full scale habitat can be fabricated.

From: Harry
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 2:35 PM
To: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [spacesettlers] Stopping By

Hey there group members,

Been away for about three months, not physically, just from geting in on the group activity. And it appears that there has been some redundancy going on with the Postings/E-mails that have been appearing since November. Too many 'replies' and attachments of previous data.

Gotta stay fresh with the input and refrain from beating those dead horse topics. At least that's what appears to my reading of the few memebers we have who are active.

Anyway, to get some distance from Alpha, and the problems with colonizations and comparative budgets from space programs (private or governmental), let's expand our observations and submit some new opinion and theory soon.

The subjectmatter smacks of some traits the other wesites I'VE edxperienced before here. References to base operations some members are trying to promote and repreat retoric that has been around for a half dozen years.

(I told you that I was trouble, only to the extent of what leads a group into complaceny and boredom. If not themselves as they may not realize what is being repeated, but to members trying to come into the group in the beginning.)

As too, the conversation is getting beyond the stated mission of the website. Maybe close-Earth colonies are boring and have their limitation on the validity as concepts or realistic approaches to man's expansion into space.

But that is what we relaly have to deal with in our more immediate generations to come. Especially given the timescales we here have creted with our own history that bogs us down.

Having ISS progams is still at least a foothold on the dream. Space tourism can take up the slack and provide the 'down to Earth' approach for more general public orientations and provision for the common man to experience such adventure. At least it all should be kept alive. And running. More than one ISS in the near future? And, trips to the Moon.

So, with that, think on this.

A real wild scenerio. But relative to many other theories of near space (Solar System) espeditions. A second Earth. And there may have been a science fiction story that influences my thinking.

Yes space 'colonies' could be placed in Earth orbital path. Bigger ISS type configurations orbiting the same lane but physically across from our planet, in the ring.

Then think of the 'artificial planet' made from gathered asteriods from the belt beyond Mars. Enough mass size and structural begining (eventual core generator and rocky surface) that will mimic that of Earth, following its path along the way. Then all the terriforming theories could be practiced and ... so on.

BUT, what about the real (astro)physics involved and would it be a dangerous threat to the natural status of the Solar System and the rest of the orbital influences on each other of the planets or the Earth itself?

Would make a great movie, huh? (Yeah, I know I remember 'When Worlds Collide' and 'Off on a Comet' from the books and movies.)

But would it be any 'cheaper' or take any less time that it would take to get us to ol' Alpha?

Just something else to compare and be somewhat relative. But there is still work to be done here on Earth folks. Its possible.