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From: REM%MIT-MC@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Terraforming vs. Space Stations --> moon vs. asteroids
Message-ID: <15494@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Jan-84 13:55:00 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.15494
Posted: Sun Jan 15 13:55:00 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Jan-84 02:25:01 EST
Lines: 26

From:  Robert Elton Maas <REM @ MIT-MC>

    Date: 13 Jan 84 15:22:45-PST (Fri)
    From: ihnp4!ihuxp!wbpesch @ Ucb-Vax
    ...  I think economically [asteroids] is the feasible way to support
    free-standing space stations, not from the gravity well of Earth or
    any other major gravity well.
On the other hand, there's an awful lot of oxygen on the moon, and
lots of aluminum silicon and titanium also, and the moon is at a
constant distance from Earth, closer than virtually any
"Earth-crossing" asteroid, and its surface has already been surveyed in
a few spots so we're not guessing. Therefore, if we can get a
mass-driver working on the moon which runs automatically without
humans on the premises, tossing moondirt into space then moving to a
new location to find some more lose moondirt, let's not ignore the
Moon. I say use Moon for supplying all materials it has in abundance,
taking advantage of its easy location (albeit uneasy gravity well, but
I think we can overcome that with mass driver), and also use the
asteroids, for the stuff they have in abundance (iron, carbon,
hydrogen, etc.; but we don't know for sure yet, none has yet been surveyed).
Ok?

But I concur that processing and fabriction should be done in zero-gee
mostly, not on the Moon. Collect moondirt and asteroid-chunks in low
lunar orbit or at L5 or elsewhere in Earth/Moon vicinity, and do
processing there.