Diversification

The fatal fraw in O'Neil's work was assumptions about shuttle flight
rates and cost. He assumed the 70's era figures ($500/lb and 50 flights
a year) plus a follow on freighter. Of course, these figures were
orders-of-magnitude optimistic. Even if they had been met, O'Neil's was
being very optimistic.

These problems are why I like the space tourism approach -- money now if
you solve the launch problem. If you don't solve the launch problem,
space colonization won't happen.

Mike wrote:

2. The common perception that O'Neill's ideas were not
implemented because there was some fundamental flaw is an assumption
rather than a demonstrated fact.

Regards,

Mike Combs

--
Al Globus
CSC at NASA Ames Research Center
aglobus@..., (650) 604-4404
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/~globus/home.html

The dinosaurs weren't spacefaring. We are. I don't think that's an
accident. Maybe we are life's taxi to the stars.