(Alex Terrell) wrote in message . com...
snip
However, I don't really see the merit of your next design. A 100m
inflatable hull would either be very thin, and hence no meteor /
radiation protection, or very heavy.

Yeah, it starts out very very thin, which is how it can be lofted with
current launch vehicles. Then over next years more fiberglass/epoxy
or kevlar/epoxy layers, or whatever fabric/epoxy layers get applied in
several layers to make it more substantial. It also gets augmented
with whatever else comes our way, and there probably will be a layer
something like a waterbed with fibers and water in it to provide some
measure of self sealing in case of punctures. But at first it would
be just a very thin membrane like aluminized mylar that gets inflated
and then hardened. It would be very delicate until several more
layers get applied. The thing is, we wouldn't have to wait until
the skin was fully augmented before we started developing and using
(and leasing) the internal space. The internal space would be
functional within a year or two of getting in orbit. Or, parts of it
would be anyway. The skin would just be very delicate for a while.
There would probably be a construction crew whose whole job would be
to do nothing but develop the double hull. fabric and spray foam?
carpeting and spray foam? The double hull works out great this way,
because the crew could be putting extra layers on the inside of the
outside skin, and the outside of the inside skin, and they'd be
working between the two skins the whole time and never have to go
outside the structure to patch the hull.

Harmon