Brian O'Leary

Space Manufacturing, Satellite Power and Human Exploration

AbstractSatellite power stations manufactured from non terrestrial materials may alleviate the global energy crisis as early as the 1990s. Costs may be competitive with coal and nuclear power and could provide an environmentally acceptable, inexhaustible and continuous supply of electricity anywhere on Earth. Habitats for the workforce employed in space manufacturing would offer a choice of gravities for living and recreation. Recent progress in this field and the interdisciplinary aspects of planning such a program are reviewed.