I was reading the classic ISLANDS IN THE SKY (a collection of science fact
articles from Analog Magazine)
There was a facinating article by Robert Zubrin entitled "Colonizing the Outer
Solar System"
In it, he postulates that Mars can be helped along in terraforming by slamming
a few ice asteroids into it.
As it turns out, it requires much less energy to re-direct an
asteroid in the outer solar system than it takes to re-direct
> Therefore, once such technology is in place, it is likely that all
This could actually generate some interesting scenarios where "engineering"
ships might encounter patrol ships looking to keep control of a particular
rock.
In a message dated 1/18/2001 7:23:27 PM Mountain Standard Time,
> s_schoon@pacbell.net writes:
<< This could actually generate some interesting scenarios where "engineering"
ships might encounter patrol ships looking to keep control of a particular
rock. >>
..or SG2 wise in an assault squad trying to take control of a rock from the
"bad" guys...
> Nyrath the nearly wise wrote:
> I was reading the classic ISLANDS IN THE SKY (a collection of
That assumes that we populate the outer solar system before we populate Mars
(I don't think we'll drop asteroids on a populated Mars).
It is more likely that we will look to populate Mars in the near future. In
that case, all launch sites would be in easily observable locations. It's is
much easier to stop something outbound than to patrol an area that is, IIRC,
larger than the area of the planetary system.
I don't understand what the order of system habitation has to do with it.
When redirecting asteroids/comets from the Keplar or Ort region, how is
it
more advantages to have patrols in the Keplar/Ort region if we populate
Io or some other outer solar system body before Mars than if we do the same
populating Mars first, then the Io etc.?
> -----Original Message-----
[snip]
> > The military always likes to control the high ground.