We have been in space for nearly fifty years. Over that time how many
objects have been launced and how amy have been severly damaged or
destroyed by meteors? One? maybe two? And if there were any, none
have been manned craft, which tend to be more robustly built.

The danger of collision is extremely small and one has to balnce the
potential risk with the cost of avoiding that risk. Some of your
passive systems sound interesting. But they would to the weight and
will increase both the cost of the craft and its launching.


On 30 Jul 2005 19:40:13 -0700, "A.W.R."
wrote:

If one wanted to have a wall between vacuum and .15 Oxygen atm (or 1
atm air if you wish), what material will after a micro-meteor passes
through patch itself??? This is rather than the thick wall or shield
defense against micro-meteors.

1. With "1 thin metal wall", you get some stretching of metal then
puncture with no sealing. Or is this wrong?

2. With "super-stretchable film" might one get long tube of stretched
film then puncture, so somehow the tube seals itself either by being
flatly pressed against remaining air by pressure or due to
self-adhesion?? I know its hard to get stretching due to super-speed
of meteor but possible at all??

3. With film that doesn't stretch but is "multi-layer" film or metal
walls lying next to dozens of other layers, if one allowed layers to
shift might not the layers post-strike shift to seal and avoid complete
path to space??? Layers shouldn't stretch, which would block any
shifting. I know hard to imagine layers of material any of which could
be pressure wall, but maybe imagine metal tubes inside each other slide
on top of each other while heated so later contract and pressurize
(this idea is getting complicated...)

4. Is there some goop that could be put in between layers or maybe put
in "goop-bags" like bubblewrap that any meteor would go through and
thus immediately apply to any puncture, thus sealing it (so don't try
to fight meteor with this wall, use thin wall and then patch
afterward). Of course goop-bags would block transparent walls.

5. Finally, how about using "floating goo-balls" that would be sucked
to hole to space and plug the leak, maybe in splat-ball shells to keep
goo-balls from sticking??? Use many floaters or a few big rubber
balls, to minimize time?

6. Or is there no such thing as a passive patching option, and "active
human or robot patcher" always needed.