Thursday, January 2, 2020

Supplying the orbitals

Venus' exports up to the orbiting stations have to be worth the ten TNT-kiloton-worth of energy per two thousand tonnes of freight (including fuel and fuselage). And these goods might end up in a higher-altitude orbit, or in L4 or L5: necessitating still more energy. I am unsure that Venus' flotilla likes to carry around this much fuel. I am unsure that Venus' cuisine is that great.

Earth could supply Venus, but Earth's gravity is even worse than Venus'. Zubrin suggested that Mars be the inner solar system's supplier - if nobody minds the wait. I agree with Zubrin.

The food coming up from Venus' cloud-cities is mainly for emergencies and luxuries - just like such supplies from Earth. Additional rations get shipped in from Mars, when these arrive on the Martian Hohmann. I expect the populations in Venus' orbit and Librations will subsist mainly from... Venus' orbit and Librations. (I'd run the orbital farms up in the higher altitudes, near the spaceports.) UPDATE 2/6/2021: Best start with water.

So - Please Recycle! And I hope they at least have de-estrogenised the Impossible Burger by then.

Personnel in Venus orbit, who aren't critical for the operation of Venus orbit, are long-term, and can handle Venus gravity (read: are from Earth) - such are dropped onto Venus, where Venus can feed and lodge them for the duration. I recommend the 50s° latitude band.

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