opportunities in this solar system

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

> Most of the objections I hear against orbital space colonies have to
do with economics. Specifically, people don't see
> the value of spending enormous sums of money to house retail workers,
janitors, clerks, barbers, tailors and other such
> people in a orbital city, when the main functions of such cities
(zero-G research and
> manufacturing) could well be done by very small groups of professional
"astronauts" on short 3-6 month tours. Like the
> international space station (only much better, hopefully).

For those reasons, I'd say space settlements won't get built until we
need workers numbering into the thousands. And even then, only at a
point where the cost of manufacturing the habitat isn't too much greater
than the costs of shuffling those thousands of workers back and forth
between Earth and orbit.

As for your other comments, I certainly still expect the process to
start in HEO, but long term I think habitats will orbit at Saturn and
beyond.

Regards,

Mike Combs