Monday, January 4, 2021

L1/2 hab for sale, barely used

From a disconnected Lagrange-orbiting torus, the whole halo can profit - if the site barters this for the hard material required to make (and replace) the torus. This post applies to any planet's L1 or L2 shipyard although, Venus L2 is for lovers. (And for propellant.)

Earth and Luna share a solar L2 too, as Hop David kept telling us in 2015. Earth's using this as a staging area at most, because it doesn't like big unstable rocks hovering overhead.

From L2 at the next planetary aphelion the torus could thrust itself onto a somewhat-stable circular (for Venus, 0.73 AU) Solar orbit, although that's not where I'd keep it. This torus stalls in that higher, slower trajectory to await L5 as that focus ascends, moving to that halo without too much delta-V. The craft could, alternately, move, gently, down to a high planetary orbit - applicable also from L1 by the way. Either is, I believe, a job for high ISP and low thrust. We'll want it physically-shielded if a Venerean orbit is planned.

These are all options for pushing against the Sun's well, and maybe our planet's, to other planets - again, if it has the propellant. But it can get out there a lot cheaper, from L1 or L2 directly. Such can dive into the well behind the planet for Oberth off to... anywhere, really. That, we don't shield, as much.

As for who's buying: I reckon inner Belters and our own Moon to be close enough, with the least delta-V, and the most material.

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