Re: starship-design: Ice Impact Terraforming

["bugzapper" <bugzappr@bellsouth.net>]

Roy Bennett writes:

Why spin it up at all? Couldn't you just use a system of
reflectors in orbit to light up the surface? It would be a
lot easier.

Even if you do, though, I doubt if the Moon has enough
gravity to hold on to an atmosphere
for very long

Roy
------

If you spin it up, it's permanent. More so than the atmosphere, which has a
half life on the order of millenia. The only reference I have seen said 4000
years, but this may be the period of substantially complete loss rather than
the half life. We don't need it to hold on to an atmosphere for very long in
astrophysical terms, just in human terms.

The tricks with mirrors and shades seem fragile and impermanent. This calls
for very large scale construction with metal foil. With air on the Moon, I
am afraid high winds will accompany every light to shade edge. If it works,
I'm for it. Spinning it up would be a more elegant solution, but until I can
get Steve some numbers, he'll remain doubtful. I need to learn Matlab, put
it off long enough.

Johnny Thunderbird