Redesigning O Neill cylinders

From: Alan Patrick [mailto:a.patrick@btinternet.com]

> Dunno what planet you're living on, but the oilrigs I've
> seen are not verdant bucolic pastures, nor are most chemical
> factories in developing countries...or developed ones for
> that matter unless there is a very powerful politician in the area.

But people don't live in oilrigs or chemical factories. If we're only
talking about use of space resources, then we might be talking about
structures comparable to these. But if we're talking about space
settlements, then we're talking about places where people choose to
live.

> People live on oilrigs and refineries for months without
> beautiful surrroundings.....

Some very small number of people live temporarily on /off-shore oil
platforms/ not on typical oil rigs. Nobody lives inside a refinery.

> Yes, but there is no pre-ordained reason why the space
> habitats will be O'Neill ones...they are phenomenally
> inefficient in terms of people/sq foot, materials needed
> to construct etc.

Yes, and mansions are considerably less efficient to build than simple,
gray, rectangular cinderblock structures. Yet I observe there continues
to be a market for mansions.

> If they can provably be cheaper to keep
> self-sustaining than other designs then they may have a
> chance, but I doubt it will be so.

They don't have to be cheaper than any conceivable bare-bones
alternative to have a chance. They only have to be cheap enough for the
market to bear.

Regards,

Mike Combs