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From: omar vega [mailto:oevega@...]

> I think the space settlements will work as small towns.
> They will never have more than, let's say, 100.000 people
> each, and the average will be about 20.000 people.

Just remember that Island 3 could support a population of 10,000,000.
But I guess you're discussing what you think is desirable, rather than
the limits of what's possible.

> Second, I don't like very much the idea of SPS.
> Beamming power from space to Earth could have some side
> effects we perhaps do not foresee. What would happens if
> an unknown chemical reaction get started with that large
> amount of power falling down.

All I know to tell you is that the DOE studied SPS quite extensively
back in the 1970's and said they could find no serious environmental
impact.

http://www.permanent.com/p-sps-bm.htm

> And if not, what will happens if a plane cross the beam?,

The aluminum skin of the plane would largely reflect the microwaves.
Planes will doubtless steer around rectennas but more for reasons of
avoiding interference with radio communications than any concerns about
exposure.

> or if a migrating ducks do so?

The effects on birds was one of the subjects of the DOE studies. They
looked at bees as well, and in neither case could find even minor
behavioral changes.

> That's scares me. Perhaps fusion is the way to go.

Well, it might be if we knew how to build a commercially useful fusion
reactor. We don't.

Regards,

Mike Combs