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From: dep@CAT.CMU.EDU (David Pugh)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle,sci.space
Subject: Re: Moon or Mars? Editorial in _Air & Space Smithsonian_
Message-ID: <1335@PT.CS.CMU.EDU>
Date: 6 Apr 88 21:07:15 GMT
References: <47032@sun.uucp> <1290@hubcap.UUCP> <4076@whuts.UUCP> <1022@thumper.bellcore.com> <48414@sun.uucp>
Sender: netnews@PT.CS.CMU.EDU
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
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In article <48414@sun.uucp> dunc@sun.UUCP (duncs home) writes:
>1. You need communications channels back to earth. A radio telescope on
>the far side of the moon would need relay satellites in lunar orbit for
>this purpose. ...

Why do you need a relay satellite? We lay cables across the ocean,
which is surely a rougher environment than the Moon. No current,
no marine life, and no corrosion. The temperature extremes on the
Moon shouldn't be all that difficult to handle.

I can see laying fiber-optic cable using technology from derived
wire-guided missiles: fire a missile containing 100+km cable, go
to whereever it lands, splice the cable to a new missle, etc.
Repeat 20 times....
-- 

"Fools are always at the bottom of 		David Pugh
 the food chain." Cesare, _Elf Defense_		...!seismo!cmucspt!gpa!dep