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Bubbagumpredditor t1_j0w2esf wrote

Yeah, this has been a standard idea in space exploration and science fiction for decades.

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deion_snaders t1_j0wb8cr wrote

This idea is different and something I've never seen before.

>The scientists posited that future space colonizers could wrap a massive mesh bag made of carbon nanofibers around an asteroid roughly the size of Bennu, which has a 300-meter diameter. They would then rotate the asteroid to the point it breaks apart. All the rubble from the space rock would be caught in the nanofiber mesh, creating a hollowed-out outer layer that could be used as the exterior structure for a space habitat. Crucially, that layer of asteroid detritus would act as a shield against radiation.

The "ground" in this concept is asteroid material pulled apart by centrifugal force and the surface on which we would build our structures.

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dilletaunty t1_j0xlvzf wrote

That’s still just a slightly different O’Neil cylinder/bubble habitat - aka an asteroid that’s hollowed out, spun, and terraformed with the ground being the outside due to the spin. Using a carbon nanotube mesh bag is a new way of keeping the asteroid together but not a surprising one.

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TomSurman t1_j0yxlat wrote

The concept of using asteroid material to build a rotating habitat has been around for decades. This is just describing one possible construction process.

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Bubbagumpredditor t1_j107nnb wrote

Yeah. I remember someone talking about mining to the center, sticking a bunch of bags of water in there and then heating the outside, when the water bags burst you get a rough sphere asteroid. I think this was an idea back in the 70s

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