Establish
a Sound Economic Base
How to Colonize an Asteroid
Establish
a Sound Economic Base
This step is probably one of the most important aspects of colonising an asteroid, the establishment of an economy to support the needs of the colonists.
Much support from earth will probably be required in the first few years of the colony's existence, and this support will be VERY expensive. Initially, funds for the procurement of repair parts and services from earth will have to be paid for by an earth based company or foundation, but the colony will eventually have to become self supporting.
The colonists will be able to make money by providing repair services to passing spacecraft, beaming energy to passing craft through the use of lasers or microwaves, sending raw materials to earth for use in the construction of orbiting facilities, and by providing a rest/refueling stop on the way to/from Mars (to name a few ways). If the asteroid colony is on a very eccentric orbit which would take it back and forth from near the Earth out to Mars, much money could be made providing transport services.
Mining the asteroids will one day be a very important part of the human expansion into the solar system, and this colony will be poised to take full advantage of this fact. Though it may take a decade or two, the colonists could one day become very wealthy if they take steps immediately to establish an economic base. Then they will live happily ever after - until they decide to launch the whole colony on a trip into interstellar space...
Another possibile way to make money would be to put the asteroid colony on an eccentric orbit wich would swing out to the orbit of Mars, and in to the orbit of Earth. The colonists could then offer cheap bulk transportation of goods or colonists between Earth and Mars.
