Critical time

Even at the most basic space platform level, you're still talking massive
transISS construction activities at a time where mission profiles are being
simplified to the minimum just to have a ghost of a chance of viability; &
adding a solar power platform to the mix just makes things worse. The above
the line cost just to develop the technologies for such a mission concept
are frankly, appalling, with current & near term capacity; & the lack of in
situ resources (which would exist if you went Lunar, Martian or used the
interior of an Earthgrazer asteroid as an ersatz O'Neill) would leave you
incredibly vulnerable to the terrestrial zeitgeist.

There's no easy out to self sufficiency in space, unfortunately: power needs
a market; while construction needs both raw materials & construction
facilities; & the more you spend up front, the more you have to bring back
to keep the balls juggling. All of O'Neill's strategies assumed an
Apolloesque environment where massive construction costs would be subsidised
over an extended period, which simply isn't a realistic option nowadays... &
remember: every new remote technology that you develop for space use will
immediately cut the cost of your competitors' product on Earth.

Let's face it: ESA is starting to seriously investigate mission concepts -
most recently: the keep it simple, stupid Mars sample return concept of
Pillinger et al - it was happy to leave to NASA only a few years ago because
political & budgetary pressures on the agency are leaving it looking very
unreliable in the mid term; & you want to push for a big new ISS-level
construction which would be a cash sink literally for decades... not even
Zubrin's that dumb....

All the best,
Robert Clements Robert.Clements@...
endeavour2 project http://www.geocities.com/robtclements/endeavour2.html>