An Event of Possible Interest to UK Spacesettlers

Yes, Mike and Al are quite correct. It would indeed be much cheaper to build an O'Neill habitat, even the Island Three version, than to settle either the Moon or Mars, and this is very much what we would all very much like. The problem is that we don't have the money to do it, and those who do are much more likely to go for the other options so long as money is generally scarce on planet Earth. Their motives differ from ours.

It is indeed first class news that the American Government and several private groups around our planet are now interested in NEO profits, but the number of entrants in the Lunar X-Prize competition makes it clear that there is still predominent interest in the Moon. A number of countries are also considering Mars and in time that will follow. The first actual small habitats are likely to come about when a major NEO needs humans present to mine it. Our ONeill habitats are only likely to come when the inhabitants of this planet realize that humanity is entering what for a while at least will be a golden age based on space resources.

There is one thing that will accelerate the building of our kind of habitat and that is population growth. I have a good friend who visited China a few years back, met and married a very nice Chinese girl who now lives happily with him and their 3 kidsin Glasgow, Scotland. Back home sh'd only have been permitted to have one child. Soon, as human population grows, other nations will bring in laws demanding one child families. As this spreads folk will want to go to space locations to have babies. It'll then be clearly realised that building O'Neill type Island Three habitats is very much the way forward and they'll be built in droves.

Best wishes, Andy.