FOOD AND RAW MATERIAL SUPPLYFROM
SPACE TO THE EARTH
Brian
O'
Leary
Departament of Physics
Princeton University
O'Neill
(1)
has proposed that self-sufficient human settlements
could be constructed in space from materials retrieved from the
M00n and asteroids. Further stlldies (23) ihave c011firmed that the
techllology is available, that the cost would be comparable to the
Apolio program, and that the first permanent settlement for 10,000
people could be established as early as the 1990's.
. In another study, O'Ne'n (4) suggested that continuous (base
lIJad) central station electl'icity could be economically obtained on
the Earth by microwave link from satellite solar power stations
constructed ,from nonterrestrial mater:aIs. By ear1y in the twenty–
firsl century, trhese stations could replace fossil fuel and nuclear
power plans as a major source of the world's energy supply, at lower
environmental cost, with an investment many times less than that
plallned for the capital expansion of electricity generating equip–
ment on the Earth
(34).
These studies have considered the Moon as the source of materials.
The cost of retrieval of these materials and transport to a high
orbital manufacturing facility has been estimated to be on the order
of
$
1 to
$
2 per kilogram amortized over 10-20 years (3-4). This
compares favorably with
$
1000 per kilogram for Earth-Iaundh of
materials aboard the
USA.
Space Shuttle planned for tlhe 1980's and
wíth
$
100 per kilogram for Earth·launch by an advanced heavy
lift vehicle which could be deve10ped for the 1990's.
Earth-approaching asteroids llave also ibeen suggested as competi–
tive materials for space manufacturing (5). rrhe resource is vast;
probably more than 100,000 such objects exist with diameters greater
tlhan 100 meters (10
6
tons). There exist opportunities where the
total energy per unit mass for the transfer of sorne of these asteroids
to a manufacturing site in high Earth orbit is comparable to that
for lunar materials. Thecost may be many times less for logistical
reasons. Optica] studies suggest ordinary and caroonaceous meteorite
compositions fol' these asteroids, with sorne conta:ning large quanti–
ties of metallic iron and nickel, and others, carbon, nitrogen and
