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From: Steve Long [mailto:longsteven@...]

> How many people would live in a Stanford Torus? About 5,700?

The Stanford Torus was designed for a population of 10,000.

> But then, what will they sell to Earthlings, when no one
> is left on earth to buy?

I don't think anybody seriously contemplates completely depopulating the
Earth. Without a doubt, as this orbital civilization grows, spreads,
and diversifies, trade with Earth will become a steadily shrinking
percentage of the overall economy. I hope that addresses your nightmare
vision of a million habitats all trying to sell solar power to Earth at
the same time.

But our point is that it's hard to see how any variety of colonization
beyond the Earth is going to get started in the first place without
providing something marketable to Earth (the only customer currently in
existence).

Regards,

Mike Combs