Question about production numbers

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Felicia" wrote:
> I'm assuming each cylinder is 32 km long and 3.2 km in
> radius. They rotate once every two minutes and are set up
> as ballistically coupled pairs. The initial population of
> each colony pair is 500,000 people of diverse racial and
> social backgrounds. There are six extrasolar colonies
> within 20 light years of Earth, all set up to ensure human
> survival when it looks like Earth might be facing a comet
> impact. I'm assuming the existence of robotic workers for
> space mining and construction, but not for farming and
> other relatively safe professions. My story takes place
> within the first 70 years after the founding of these
> colonies (some of the colonies are very young, some much
> older). Some luxuries may be grown for trade, but
> generally anything beyond the necessities are not grown.
> While I have seen many websites that talk about colonies
> raising animals for food, I think that is a luxury that
> they don't have. However, I expect they have aquaculture
> and hydroponics. I'm assuming technological advancement
> in farming practices, but to start out with, I'd like to
> come up with labor statistics using our current level of
> technology for farming (needs to be sustainable and a
> vegetarian - plus fish - diet) and minimal imports and
> exports. I know it is hard to guess at what they would
> need. My main concern is that I don't so grossly over or
> underestimate my numbers that someone reading the story
> would balk. Thanks!
> -- Felicia
>> >
> >
mining would be an item external to the colony - they would be
interested in manufacturing and construction - with the small number
of colonies in such a large area we would have to assume a very
major degree of self sufficiency - do you have some method of
transportation and/or communication that is FTL - otherwise the
other colonies would have no influence on each other - they would
just be like lifeboats on a very large sea.To have trade you need
someone to trade with - on a reasonable time scale(1-2 years
prefered maximum). for argiculture you would have advantages of not
having a weed problem and low disease incidence( would be bad for a
colony if biologicals were used against food production.) probably
possible for 1-2% of the population to be involved in food
production. Major employers would be construction( new colony
shells), medical sciences, engineering, - would there be external
zero gravity manufacturing centers in close proximity - they would
require scientific inputs to make new alloys and ideas. this could
be expanded to make the bonded pair the center of a large domain
with prospectors, salvage, transport to outposts and all the other
things that make expansion possible.