- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
This has to be a joke, which is why I'm ashamed at myself for even typing here, but allow me to explain why this is ridiculous.
1. To remove enough materials to build such a structure would take thousands upon thousands of your hypothetical robots. Between the U.S., Japan, Russia, China, Brazil, the European Space Agency, etc. we only launch about 100 rockets per year, at a cost of $10,000 per ounce of weight. Let's assume that we can fit four of your robots on a standard payload rocket, and that through the miracles of science they only weight 1000 pounds. Then assume that we need (at a minimum!) 1000 robots, just to get the material off the moon in less than 100 years. Do the math. It costs millions to buy a rocket, millions to launch the rocket, you have to compete with telecom, military, and other organizations to buy rocket launch windows, etc.
2. Solar power will NOT sustain your cutely rendered, but completely hypothetical robots. It may work to fly one or two around but solar power will not provide the lift necessary to escape the moons gravity with a payload (despite having 1/10 Earth gravity). Thus, you will need fuel, which means refueling, which means more rockets.
3. These robots will not be able to operate solely with A.I.; it's too complex an operation. They need direction to the moon, direction on the moon, direction from the moon, direction as to where to dump their payloads, etc.
4. Where would they dump payloads? In a pile in orbit somewhere? Solar wind will cause dust and debris to float away from whereever the robot leaves its payload, as will the robot moving away, causing an unprecedented amount of space debris threatening existing satellites and the International Space Station.
5. Where will humans stay while manufacturing the halo itself, or will even more advanced robots do it?
6. How long will it take/how expensive will it be to lauch seeds and/or plants to the ring?
7. Will the halo have propulsion? If not, due to orbital mechanics, it will slowly drift back into the Earth's atmosphere, and that would be a huge mess. If it will have propulsion, will the ring be strong enough to support the massive amount of force necessary to move it?
8. Will moon stone have enough structural integrity to support the ridiculous amount of force placed on the halo as it spins to create artificial gravity? Or will stress points fracture the whole thing? I'm leaning towards the latter...
10. Do you have any idea how long it's been taking to complete the International Space Station, which is the size of a house, and how much money it has cost? Over a decade, and over a hundred billion, all told.
11. Bottom line, we don't have the technology. We don't have the need. It won't cost trillions... it will cost quadrillions, if not quintillions. This is a terrible idea, a stupid idea, and this forum needs to close.
12. Nice render work on the halo and your robot.