Hollow
out the Asteroid
How to Colonize an Asteroid
Hollow
out the Asteroid
There are two possible approaches to this step;
(More detailed information about this subject is available in the section of this spin entitled "Constructiong the Colony")
Once the temporary habitat and basic power systems are operational, the real work will begin. The colonists, with the help of robotic mining equipment, will have to hollow out the center of the asteroid to a diameter of approximately two miles.
The raw material which is removed from the center of the asteroid will have to be processed to extract the useful metals, gasses, and other compounds for use in the construction and repair of their tools and facilities. Any excess material can be processed for sale or barter to other spacefaring peoples.
This massive mining project will take several years, possibly a generation or more of the colonists. It may be possible to send robotic miners a year or two ahead of the colonists to get the job started, but they will eventually require the maintenance and direction which can only be performed by a technician on site.
As the center of the asteroid is hollowed out, the cramped temporary habitats can also be expanded, and some of the materials can be used to build more power arrays. The more power you provide, the more work you can do (up to a point).
An alternative to hollowing out an asteroid by digging was suggested by science fiction author Jerry Pournell, in his short story called "Bubbleworld"
In this proposed method, a cylindrical asteroid (cigar shaped) could be bored out along the axis and filled with water in large plastic bags. The ends of the cigar would be sealed up with rock and a mirror arrangement would be set up to focus energy from the sun along the length of the cylinder. The cylinder would have to be started rotating, and then the rock would heat until it is molten. When the molten rock comes in contact with the plastic bags full of water, the water will explode and blow the entire mass into a large bubble which would almost instantly solidify.
Implausible as this technique might sound, the potential savings in time and equipment definitely deserve more attention.
