Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: best of all worlds
Message-ID: <1990Oct5.163422.25830@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <10265.2708917a@pbs.org> <1017@dg.dg.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Oct 90 16:34:22 GMT

In article <1017@dg.dg.com> ahughes@dg-rtp.dg.com (Arch Hughes) writes:
>>we could design everything to work together giving us regular access to the
>>moon.
>
>Of what value is regular access to the moon over a space
>station? ...

It depends on what you want to do.  If epxloring the Moon is your priority,
then yes, regular access to the Moon is better. :-)  The Moon is also a
better place to do materials-intensive operations, since lunar dirt is
cheap once you're there, while shipping materials to a space station is
very expensive.

>... If I want to set up a low gravity manufacturing
>or lab facility, does the moon's mass prohibit it as a
>satisfactory site (assuming a surface facility)?

Almost certainly, if really low gravity is what you want.  If access to
vacuum and materials is more important, the gravity may be an asset,
since many industrial processes are a pain to do in free fall.
-- 
Imagine life with OS/360 the standard  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
operating system.  Now think about X.  |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry