Radiation shields and mirrors

From: ANTIcarrot

> I've always understood that the radiation shield is going to weigh
> significantly more than the actual colony inside the stanford torus.
If true
> then it will rotate at lower speed than the colony and will be in a
>1G
> situation.

I think you meant <1G. Yeah, the radiation shield of a Stanford Torus
will mass about 10 times as much as the pressurized hull. If we simply
started turning an electric motor in between them, letting the two
angular momentums balance, in the end the counter-rotating radiation
shield would only be going around 1/10 of a RPM vs. the rest of the
habitat's 1 RPM. And that's why I talked about parts of it coming under
perhaps as much as 1/10 G.

> The heat radiator could also be rotated for a similar effect;
> which in turn could reduce the forces experienced by the radiation
shield.

There might be one good reason to have the heat radiator rotating, even
if only enough to create a fraction of a G. This radiator will not be
able to keep from also being the habitat's dehumidifier. In other
words, water is going to condense inside the pipes. I think at least a
fraction of a G would be good to ensure that water flows to the "lowest"
point, so that it could be collected and piped off for use inside the
habitat.

> It won't be too flimsy. Remember, it will need to turn (at least) once
a
> year, as well as maintain station keeping with the colony itself.

That's true. Of course I only meant flimsy in comparison to a
similar-scale mirror built for operation here on the surface of the
Earth, contending with both gravity and weather.

Regards,

Mike Combs