space stations vs terresterial colonies

From: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of dsw_s

> I don't want to purify the gases and manufacture the
> bottles in the asteroid's original orbit. When the
> mining spacecraft reaches the asteroid, I want to start
> separating out *low*-value components of the asteroid,
> and then use them as reaction mass to bring the rest of
> the asteroid into earth orbit. It would arrive with
> perhaps half the material having been through the first
> separation step, and the other half completely raw
> materials. Then you could send up new equipment if
> necessary any time you hit a snag in processing, or you
> could send humans up to do a few of the trickier operations,
> instead of having to wait two years for a launch window to
> send another machine.

These are some very good arguments for the scenario that I've always
favored.

One thing that's always bothered me about the proposals to use
solar-steam or nuclear-steam rockets to move asteroids is that you're
using up the most valuable part of the asteroid. I've always liked
mass-drivers because in that scenario you can be throwing away the least
valuable parts.

Regards,

Mike Combs