Question about production numbers

> From: feliciapanixcom
> Hello! I'm writing a story in which a sizable population lives in
> O'Neill cylinders.

Maintinance: Since Island colonies are based on suspension bridges, you
might want to read up on maintinance staff requirements for those and scale
up. Thing is most of your questions depend strongly on technology and design
choices of the designer/author. If your robitics technology is very
advanced, an island 4 colony might only require a core 'crew' of 100 people.
If you're setting it back in the 1980s, then obviously you're going to need
a lot more staff. You also need to decide how kind your universe is to such
vast space structures. The more plot-related accidents or misadventures you
want to build in the more crew you will need. Unless you want to write about
a rundown colony which can't afford a full crew...

Crops: Wheat for bread & cerial. Soya for protien. Fruit and vegitables;
which might also be grown in allotments in the main cylinder. Spices are
also a strong possibility, though only in the farming rings. Smells in space
are a big problem. You don't want the entire habitat to start smelling of
curry. I'd recomend mindless-meat production techniques for any carnivorous
food requirements for various health & volume related efficiences.

Space station control: Ideally 0. I mean your station isn't going anywhere
is it? ;) In practice control would consist of managing maintinance and
managing external contracts/agreements. Any civil service needs of the
population might also fall under this heading. Services like
telecommunications or health-care might/might not depending on your social
structure. Look up countries in the right population range and read about
their governments.

It's not just a case that all the answers are 'how long is a piece of
string' but your questions are a little vague too. O'Neils can very in
physical size and population by several orders of magnitude. The kind of
social structure and age of the habitate also make it difficult to tell you
what you need to know.

Possibily the best thing to do is forget the facts (which I'm not sure exist
in the detail you want at all) and make up whatever figures fit your story
best. Or you could tell us a little more about the particular O'Neil you had
in mind... ;)

John

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