Life Outside the Habitat

> Once we get some Habitats built I'm wondering whether there will be
> a need for personal means of transportation outside the Habitat. I'm
> sure there will be means to transfer people from one Habitat to
> another, like passenger jets, but will there be a need for private
> little Cessna spacecraft? Do we want small vehicles approaching the
> Habitat and posing impact risks? Where is there to go?
>
> Will such craft be as popular as sailboats? People go out for a day
> of solar cruisng and looking upon nothingness. Maybe the feeling of
> infinite space will be inspirational.
>
> Any thoughts?

For background, I think it possible there will be few spacesuits in the
future, just crewed, AI-d, and remote controlled work pods (think 2001
or diving bells). Strap on a booster and there is your short range
transport. (I think NASA's emergency rescue inflatable person size
beachball is cool though.) People living in space habitats may be more
into Virtual Reality anyway -- like Mnhattan dwellers taken as a group
probably rarely think of the Manhattan ecology or watershed. Habitats
will likely cluster to reduce internet communication delays for shared VR.

[Great theads!]

--Paul Fernhout