Gradually settling a space colony

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Combs, Mike"
> From: Lucio de Souza Coelho [mailto:lucio@v...]
>
> > As far as I understand the Amish, the use of industrial
technology is a
> > "sin" for them. How would them live in an entire world made
> > artificially? Or perhaps they could try a space colony done in a
> > "handicraft" way - I am trying to imagine an Amish construction
team
> > wearing leather space suits while building a wooden space habitat
with
> > hammers and nails. But am not being very successful. :-)
>
> As far as the Amish are concerned, I don't think how the habitat
got built
> in the first place will be as relevant to them as how they choose
to live in
> it. Somebody else will build the habitat structure for them, and
it will
> then be up to them to manage the interior in as high-tech or low-
tech a
> manner as suits them.
>
> I don't think Amish on the High Frontier are out of the question.
The "life
> support system" would in fact be agriculture which could be done
high or
> low-tech. O'Neill commented that the most high-tech part of a
habitat would
> be the motors which would circulate the air through the heat
radiators. I
> suppose one might need to add the timers controlling the mirrors.
>
> I guess what I'm trying to say is that it might well take rocket
science to
> build a habitat, but not necessarily to keep it running once built.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mike Combs