[affiliate link], second edition. I'm also going to try out Amazon affiliates program, just to see if you, the readers, riot. *Puts on riot helmet and holds up shield*Chapter 1: The Space Mission Analysis and Design Process
This chapter is of use when studying space settlement because it teaches us how to complete mission objectives with the lowest cost possible. This is import to learn because of the demonstrated lack of business sense in space commercialization plans.
On page 2, there is an important quote: "there is strong pressure to proceed to ever greater detail, and never revise a decision once it haw been made...we must also review the mission design regularly for better ways to achieve the mission objectives". From my view of the space community, this maybe a problem. There are a ton of politics around the space program that force it to remain on a path once that path is set. I point to the cancellation of the Ares program. While there should be an active debate on whether or not to follow Obama's plan, the discussion should not consider the money already spent on the system. It is simply better to waste money in the short term for the long term savings gained by a more efficient system...if we can prove the it is more efficient. This will be a big deal in space settlement because of the massive amounts of money that will be involved, scraping the design of a space habit could mean millions in wasted designing time. But, if it means a better, more profitable space settlement, we must be willing to let go.
The author then goes on to say that "[n]early any mission is technically feasible...[however] we must select each space mission, not to achieve something that could not have been done before, but to achieve something that should be done or is worth doing" (Page 5). This is important because space settlement lies on that line. The author gives the example of a forest fire tracking system that could be tackled by aircraft or ground crew, the same is true of space habitation. For the cost of settling space, we could easily mount a massive planetary defence program, start huge recycling programs, being to develop extremely efficiently cities that can support themselves and develop other Earth bound technology to tackle the same problems that space habitation tackles. In order for space settlement to pass this type of engineering analysis, it must bring something to the table that nothing on Earth can do...that will be difficult to do.
This chapter also discusses the need to consider the hidden agendas when planning a mission, I've never considered this before. Space settlement would have a vast number of political and social meanings that must be addressed in order for the project to be successful. This means that we must consider what effects a space settlement will have on world dynamics; an international effort could mean peace, thus less need for armour and weapons, but a imperial space settlement mission could require the need for a heavy military structure. We would need to be able to accept a space habitat's position as the first, and many only, source of aid for stranded and injured space explorers.
Finally, when reading this chapter, I felt chills at the thought that the space habitation movement may only still be in conceptional design. I would need to be a master to make that call, but it is something that worries me.
Right, I'm just beta testing this format, if this blog isn't in flames by morning, I'm going to write posts that detail 5 chapters at a time; these books are really dense. I just wanted to get a feel for the audience. Feel free to leave me a comment below, or at-least use the check boxes at the bottom to give me feedback...I need it, badly.
