Vulnerability of Space Settlements to Attacks

Sparked by the recent terrorist attack on New York, no doubt, Matt
questions (10/4) how much more vulnerable a space settlement, "a big
floating bulls-eye", would be to an attack, presumably from Earth
or some other space settlements. Implicit in his question is the
assumption that it would just take one missile or one bomb to destroy
an entire settlement -- it being a pressurize vessel in the vacuum of
space.

My partial answer now is that it would be safer for a space settlement
at L5 than it would be for any city on Earth from terrorist or
military attack. (L5 is one of several Lagrangian points that are
gravitationally stable located roughly equidistant from both the
moon and Earth about 240,000 miles, and is a preferred location for a
space settlement.) The greater safety is mainly due to the greater
distance separating Earth and L5, than that between any two cities on
Earth. Long before a missile from a hostile force on Earth could reach
L5, an L5-er would be able to blast it into the void, assuming the L5-ers
have been prepared for such attacks. Besides, L5-ers would have the
gravitational high ground: it would be easy to just "drop" big enough
rocks on hostile Earth bases.

But suppose that a missile, a shuttle loaded with explosives, or a
smuggled-in bomb does detonate on a space vessel, even a country-size
vessel, would the consequences be more or less catastrophic than what
happened in New York?

A further question: Assuming that a country in space, inside a highly
technologically sophisticated pressure vessel, is susceptible enough to
terrorist or military attack, would or should this apparent vulnerability be an
influence on the amount of political, civil liberties of the citizens? Would the
very fact of the vacuum of outer space, and the necessary hi-tech systems to
maintain life there, be the basic justification for establishing a highly
regimented, strictly regulated, paramilitary type of society -- for the sake of
environmental security?

Monart
Starship Aurora http://www.starshipaurora.com/>