[TML] Asteroid Mining (was Molding Ships)

[Richard Aiken]

On 9/26/07, shadow at shadowgard.com <shadow at shadowgard.com> wrote:
> Alternatively, if you've gort lots of electrical power, you can build
> silicon/oxygen and aluminum/oxygen rocket motors. Those are probably
> a better idea for killing the spin. The mass driver is better for
> altering the orbit.

So we put down several strip-mining robots.  These scrape the surface
and process out silicon and/or aluminum, plus oxygen.  These materials
are stockpiled on top of local high spots.  Then we set down some
robot rocket motors and fire these up with the stockpiled fuel.  Once
we've got the spin and/or tumble cancelled, we next build a mass
driver and switch the strip-mining robots over to supplying it with
material.

Or would a human have to be there for that?  Since mass drivers are
long-range weapons, Imperial regulations might require a sapient
presence before you could build and operate one.

-- 
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein