how to build the station.

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, Al Globus wrote:
>
> I always assumed outside, but inside is certainly worth
considering. I'm
> not sure how you would get power to the inside though, and it would
> constrain the size of mirrors for solar furnaces to vaporize
material.
>
> I had in mind a large number of sprayers on a ring structure around
the
> settlement. That way, material is deposited more-or-less all the
way
> around the balloon simultaneously.
>

first problem with that is that the sprayers would have to be brought
up from earth, and they would have to be very complex to be able to
withstand the lack of gravity, and the vacuum of space not to mention
the heat and radiation from the sun. this means heavy, which means
expensive to launch.

if it were internal, the furnaces would be in the open (during
construction only) near the hub. they would be rotating with the
station. they they would be able to seen the heated material though
conduits that were connected with an inner cylinder. from their the
heated material would go to 4 to 8 sprayers, that would be working in
an atmosphere, and under a gravity situation.

another possibility is to line the balloon with a thin layer of
regolith (not sure if this is the correct spelling), then covered
with aluminum powder. a electonic gun is then fired at it, melting
the powder into the regolith, forming a solid surface. several thin
layers of this would create a fairly strong surface upon to work. at
this point there are many known and proven ways of putting down a
solid floor.

would you mind if i suggested an alternative.