mounstable rants concerning Instability of long cylinders

SSI spends a lot of time thinking about large scale
structures, reminiscent of planet Earth, so large they
have internal weather patterns, clouds, etc. Such
structures will eventually be built, but not until
there is a lot of money being made in space(by a lot,
I mean upwards of trillions of dollars). Getting from
where we are to where we would like to be requires we
also think of prefab, rotating construction shacks,
capable of providing a livable environment(and
G-force) for the folk who have to build power sats and
other large structures via tele-operated 'bots. The
shack on a tether concept could provide such, with two
shacks 867 meters apart rotating about a common center
of gravity. If each shack is 30 meters in diameter and
30 meters tall, with floors 4 meters apart, there is a
lot of usable space in each, to the tune of 4725
square meters/each shack. Ceilings 4 meters high would
be adequate for livability and a connecting shaft
between the two shacks would allow personnel access to
each shack. Living quarters on the first three
"floors" of each provide 675 square meters/floor. At a
population density of 10 square meters per person, we
could house 405 people, provide entertainment on one
floor and still have 3 floors/each shack for work,
labs, power generation(though the center of rotation
is a fine place to put a utility "shed"), even a floor
for green growing things, though perhaps distributing
the green life throughout the shacks might be a better
idea. Everybody remember to water your tomatoes,,,

Oil workers on construction/drilling rigs in the gulf
of Mexico make do with far less. Of course, they get
to return to the mainland several times a year, an
aspect I would think unlikely for workers in orbit,
but a ground based vacation once a year should be
feasible.

There is a company planning on building hotels in
orbit from expandable vinal structures. The plastic is
inflated to the required dimensions and if the
material is thick enough, provides good radiation
protection. Of course, these are all designed for free
fall, rather than a rotating structure, but strapping
on a tether and connecting two such together might be
feasible.

Gary 7

--- ForDutyAndHumanity IAmSpacebearAICDA