Randall Clague wrote: >It's a rock. It's an interesting rock - perfect for a rendezvous >mission pumped by a few gravity assists - but a rock. > We're all pretty blase about rocks; I know I am mostly. But there are different kinds.
If it was a nickel-iron, that could be mineable nickel-iron might be a building material. If it's a chondraceous then it could have volatiles at the center- that's rocket fuel right there, and there are few things more important than rocket fuel in space. Also, 'just a rock' is one way to boost spacecraft/stations- you attach a tether to one end, lower the rock down, and then let it go. Also rocks make great radiation shields. I presume everyone knows about the flashes the astronauts can see with their eyes shut? A few meters of rock would stop that, and increase the mass of the ISS (less frequent reboosts). Enough rock, and no more reboosts ever going to be needed for the life of the station. Isn't use of 'rocks' like this why we are trying to go into space? (Rhetorical question) >-R > _______________________________________________ ERPS-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list
