| Re: Moon is a Harsh Mistress - fresh discussion
super colliders are particle accelerators. similar function, but designed to move smaller masses.
chrispenycate, the design of the catapult was more rail gun. using electromagnets, computer sequenced on powering up and down, to move a ferrous package. only a few ferrous metals out there, Iron and Nickel are two of the ones I recall. (total of 4?) iron/steel would still be the cheapest to produce, until the raw materials were depleted.
Underground ran several items at once. better insulation from light dark cycles. cheaper construction, since they would be taking away the parts that didn't work like habitation, instead of building all the parts of habitation, and paying carrier fees. Radiation is easiest to discount. considering how many people walked around in p-suits. most radiation can be minimized, or even negated through use of about 1" of metal sheeting. lead would be best of course. |