Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!ITI.ORG!aws
From: aws@ITI.ORG ("Allen W. Sherzer")
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: You Can't Expect a Space Station to be Cheap
Message-ID: <9011051648.AA19192@iti.org>
Date: 5 Nov 90 16:48:13 GMT
References: <29216@boulder.Colorado.EDU>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow
Lines: 26

In article <29216@boulder.Colorado.EDU> you write:
>Actually, the question that bothers me most about both the NASA and the 
>LLNL station is "Why so big?"  

I won't speak for Freedom. The reason for LLNL are to meet design
requirements. LLNL provides artificial gravity and so needs to be big
enough to provide it. At the same time, the incrimental cost of more space
is so cheap, why not?

>Since we (the U.S.) seem to have little, if any,
>usable experience in launching, assembling, operating, and maintaining space
>stations, it seems to me that we would want to start small and build up 
>incrementally.  

Agreed. If other viable alternatives are out there, I would be glad to push
for them. LLNL seems to be the best thought out way to get us permanently 
up there. In addition, the LLNL Lunar base would begin to provide cheap
fuel at LEO. This will be needed to establish a real infastructure.

  Allen

-- 
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|Allen W. Sherzer| I had a guaranteed military sale with ED-209. Renovation |
|   aws@iti.org  | programs, spare parts for 25 years. Who cares if it      |
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