Vulnerability of Space Settlements to Attacks

--- In spacesettlers@y..., Josh Kane wrote:
> I think that if anyone were to attack a space settlement, another
space
> settlement could just send an asteroid Earth's way. Asteroidal
> deterrence (like nuclear deterrence) would probably prevent a space
> settlement from being attacked. Thus, space settlements will
probably be
> safer than Earth from attacks.

How about if there is one space settlement attacking another, as
opposed to the usually-discussed scenario of earth attacking a lone
space settlement? Sure, either could start lobbing big rocks down
the gravity well, which would piss off the earthers to no end, but
how about if they start attacking one another?

on another note: I have seen a few posts saying that nanotech could
be brought to bear to fight biological weapons in a space
settlement... however there are some problems with this idea:
1) nanotech is still in its infancy; we haven't yet written the
program that will allow us to design arbitrary nanostructures
2) once we are able to design these structures (and presumably, to
build them), then sure, a properly-programmed nanobot could be used
to fight bioweapons...and on the flipside, the same nanobots could be
weapons themselves. Have a problem with your neighbouring colony?
Just turn them into gray goo.

Having said that, it may turn out that space settlements may be the
only safe place to actually develop nanotech, as the possible gray
goo scenario would be limited to a single isolated structure.

:) ed