Starting out small

Another posting to spacesettlers.

Regards,

Mike Combs

[mailto:spacesettlers@... On Behalf Of Xenophile

> Zubrin like to say that the smallest O'Neill colony is "a billion
tons."

snip

> I'm not sure where Zubrin gets his numbers.

Zubrin used the habitat mass number that got him the results he was
after, i.e. the economics of this whole thing are laughable, so quit
bringing it up and let's all go back to the idea of colonizing Mars.

What I tell people about the one billion ton Island 3 is to not worry
about it, because Island 3 won't get built by Earth people or the
current civilization. Island 3 will get built by a future space-based
civilization which will get its start in much smaller and more modest
habitats.

Zubrin pretended that an Earth-based corporation wishing to make SPS in
space would first have to build Island 3. He even avoided referring to
the structure as "Island 3" because the very name itself makes explicit
that it would not represent a first generation habitat (not even the
first generation of Earthlike habitats).

I used to wonder if I was the only one who thought Zubrin was not above
sometimes making a disingenuous argument to make things come out his
way. I've since heard many others voice much the same complaint, and in
various areas outside of Zubrin's rough treatment of O'Neill.

Regards,

Mike Combs