volumes and dates

In regard to "What we are really paying for is not internal surface area,
but internal volume." and "I couldn't agree more. I have never understood
why it was so necessary to have a long viewing distance in the island
designs."
Of course there would be long viewing distances outside the space
colonies, to the Moon, Earth, etc. The advantage of a large volume for the
internal atmosphere is to function as a buffer against gas leaking out from
impacts or other accidents, chemicals contamination, and so on. The larger
the volume the more time there would be to respond to such problems before
the inhabitants began dying.
I am giving a talk to the local Unitarian Universalist Church (of
Jacksonville FL) on space this coming Sunday; maybe some of the comments I
plan to make there may interest this group. Here is one for a trial balloon
on dates: Columbus first trip to the Americas was in 1492, the first
successful colony in what is now the USA was St. Augustine, FL founded in
1564. Boston came along in 1630. So colonizing then (using founding those
cities as the definition) required either 72 or 138 years. We have lots of
time to make that schedule, which would place the first city on the Moon in
2041 (Spanish - St. Augustine model) or 2117 (English - Boston model).
The clock has yet to start for Mars, as we have yet to put humans there,
but this comparison would put a city there in 2074 or 2142 (or so).
I am not in favor of waiting, but thought these comments might interest
you. And is there any evidence that we will do better in the 21st century
than those folks did in the 16th and 17th centuries?
Sincerely Jay S. Huebner at jhuebn@...