4 ms·
Yes, but you could still construct it in orbit. Imagine building four quadrants, spooning them together for launch, then fusing ("cold welding") them into a sph
by tempestn 6y ago
Yes, but you could still construct it in orbit. Imagine building four quadrants, spooning them together for launch, then fusing ("cold welding") them into a sphere in space.
- thaumasiotes 6y agoIt is surely better to construct them here, where we have all our tools, and if really necessary pump them out here. There just isn't an advantage to doing it in space. You end up paying more to create a lower-quality sphere. And what weighs more - the air that got trapped in the sphere when we made it, or the machine we sent up to space to assemble a sphere there?
- withjive 6y agoSeems quite short sighted to assume space manufacturing processes would not improve - or we would not want to improve them. Cold weld it in space, it's not that difficult with some engineering. Space X?
- thaumasiotes 6y agoThe assumption is that no matter how much space manufacturing processes improve, ordinary manufacturing processes will improve more than that. This is pretty well guaranteed.
- tempestn 6y agoIt's not just the weight that's an issue, but also the volume.