Diversification

Any idea what the delta-v to it is?

andy-nimmo wrote:

> Hi Ian,
>
> Spectro-analysis of Ra-Shalom, a carbonaceous NEO that passed relatively
> close to Earth in the late 1970s, indicated that it was 10% water -
> mixed into an oil-like sludge. If other carbonaceous NEOs are similar,
> then they may produce a good source of water in nearby space. The carbon
> would also be very useful.
>
> Best wishes, Andy.
>
> Ian Woollard wrote:
>
> Al Globus wrote:
>
> > The only thing this costs is mass,
> > and if mass is plentiful (asteroidal and lunar material is
> *fairly*
> > cheap,
> >
> > Mass and energy never cost anything. Only people cost money (when
> was
> > the last time a rock demanded money from you?). Mass and energy
> > *appear* to cost money because you need to pay the people that
> control
> > them. Still, you pay the people, not the asteroid or energy source.
> > This is an obvious, critical, and often forgotten truth.
>
> Yes, I wasn't forgetting it. Energy costs something because you need
> power plants to harvest the suns energy, and pay for any maintenance it
> might need; so the power plants cost something because somebody spends
> time building it for you.
>
> The mass costs because it needs 'mining' (you need to pay the miner).
> Also you need to pay for the launch costs- it requires fuel/power
> for a rocket or mass driver, and you need to pay for the people
> operating/maintaining the equipment/rocket and anything else
> necessary.
>
> Asteroidal material may well be cheaper- ion drives can be used for
> transport and the equipment may be cheaper to run and less mass
> intensive. But the shipping delay is likely to be months or even
> years, so won't be available at high orbit initially. Clearly
> the costs of materials is going to vary over time- very expensive
> early on- very cheap later as mass production gets underway.
>
> Still, I am wondering about the law of the minimum. Growth is
> limited by whatever is in shortest supply. Energy isn't in
> short supply. Mass in general might be, although there is a fair
> amount albeit it very spread around ("Space is big, really big, you
> won't believe how mind boggling big...").
>
> Right now, some of the volatiles might be fairly rare away from
> the main belt- i.e. water/hydrogen, nitrogen etc. I'm wondering
> where we would get that from. The lunar poles may have some,
> although it might be not in sufficient abundance to be worth
> mining- but we don't know; and we need to find out.
>
> --
> - Ian Woollard (ian.woollard@...)
>
> "Is a planetary surface the right place for an expanding technological
> civilization?"
> - Gerard O'Neill
>

--
- Ian Woollard (ian.woollard@...)

"Is a planetary surface the right place for an expanding technological
civilization?"
- Gerard O'Neill