Vulnerability of Space Settlements to Attacks

--- Ed Minchau wrote:
> 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.

That would require that nano-tech be developed. It would also require the blue
goo to be able to destroy both the bio-weps (not that hard) and any gray goo
(requires somewhat advanced blue 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.

Developing in space would prevent them from destroying earth and if the place
they are being built on has a thermonuclear destruct system they wont be
getting off if they do become gray goo. The lab would likely be remote
controlled.