Bootstrapping - Step Eleven

11.) Assemble a fast transfer vehicle for transporting personnel to
the NEO.

We've already launched a vessel with mining and refining equipment
towards our designated NEO on a long term and economical orbit.

If the technology is sufficient to process that NEO without human
presence then steps 11-13 become redundant.

I'm assuming that some human presence is required.

What I think makes sense is that the vessel to take the humans to
the NEO basically has a small living compartment and a whole bunch
of propulsion equipment so that the transit time can be reduced.
This would allow for reduced radiation shielding, reduced life
support equipment, reduced medical complications, etc.

This vessel is assembled in LEO with components brought up by
shuttle.

Testing of the vessel takes place in LEO and possibly it takes a run
or two to the moon. If it can't function on a week long journey to
the moon, it surely can't operate millions of kilometers away when
the NEO makes its closest approach to Earth.

I'm placing the NEO journey this early in the process to allow for
the long transit times, and to allow for long production runs with a
small amount of equipment, with limited capacity, to produce the
nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon we'll need over the coming decades.

Do you agree with this priority in the scheme of things? Should we
send larger capacity equipment later in the game to produce the same
amount of volatiles?

I think it would make sense to use these volitiles to provide the
gases we'll need for the lunar installations, and for the orbital
infrastructure as well, not to mention the eventual habitat many
years later.

TangoMan