the numbers are too uncertain. To attract private capital, it will be necessary to eliminate the unknowns as far as possible. In my opinion, that can best be done by not straining the technology; that is, by exploiting the pass in the mountain chain. I was asked to comment on ground-based solar power. It seems to me to be worthy of research, but so far I have not found it promising, because solar energy at ground level is too fractional in time and too uncertain. If spectacular advances, both in energy conversion and energy storage are made, that picture could change. In the written testimony which I submitted to the committee, I made a number of recommendations for research. I won't repeat them here, but they have two characteristics. Their thrust is to insure that nothing worthwhile is overlooked, rather than to concentrate too soon on a line of research that may not turn out to be the best one. Second: nearly all of the recommendations are for research which could be carried out on a modest scale here on the surface of the Earth at very low cost compared to any activity that must be done in space. I have four figures which illustrate some aspects of the orbital manufacturing concept. The first is a schematic of one of several possible geometries for a construction station in high orbit. Side view schematic of Bernal Sphere
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