If the case is that ships can reach L5 and the moon for a similar amount of energy expenditure and the landing gear only is a small part of the overall craft mass, then I will readily agree with you as I also appreciate the benefits of working on the Moon's surface. However, what I envision is actually little more than a remotely operated fuel depot in L5, with human visits for maintenance being part of the refuelling. Please see http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1771470&cid=33427356

Shallow gravity well is not as good as no gravity well at all. Mind you, I refer to L5 only for the methane ice fuel depot. You are probably right that the moon is a good place to dump ore to be processed.

To clarify, I mention L5 as an ideal place to park a chunk of methane ice to be used as fuel for future space missions. See my other posts for more details.

Reference links for above post: WISE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WISE_mission Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Methane/ Liquid Oxygen Rocket : http://www.xcor.com/products/engines/5M15_LOX-Methane_rocket_engine.html ASRG: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Stirling_Radioisotope_Generator JAXA solar sail: http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/e/activity/ikaros.html These are the off the shelf components. The robotics that will convert the asteroid to fuel will admittedly require some exiting engineering.

Of course this post pretends to ignore that there are probably no pure methane ice/water ice asteroids out there, and even if they did exist the technical capability to convert them to fuel on the spot has not yet been fully realised. Snow line is where water remains solid even in view of the sun, about 2.7 AU. Steam propulsion might also be an idea, as mentioned.

Definitely "cheaper" especially if one goes on the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Network.

Its better in that it is safer, and zero maintenance . If getting to L5 remains a problem when there is a fuel depot there, there will never be any significant space exploration.

Agreed. Only not a near-Earth, but a body just beyond the "snow-line, say 3 to 7 AU away. An object about to be discovered by WISE. Piggy back a methane/LOX rocket onto a Stirling ion drive, say the ASRG, get to a frozen methane/water ice body under Ion drive power and make in situ fuel in inflatable or sub surface tanks. Blast back to Earth L5 with a JAXA solar sail-like shade deployed towards the Sun to prevent sublimation. In less than a decade we will have a gas station in space, with the reasonable "price at the pump" to fund access to fresh water for our fellow human beings on Earth. Spin and centre of gravity issues will be dealt with by our greatest minds and a lot of processing power. Note that most components are off the shelf, the cost of such a mission can easily be under 2.3B with two launches a year for a few years to replenish the methane and water supply at L5 and improve the initial design. Refuelling capacity at the top of our gravity well is the Holy Grail of future space exploration. This post marks the publication of my intent to make this happen. End Rant. Contact me if you have similar intent.

Park it there.

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It seems that Adult Video Network have outdone themselves as contemporary culture critics... http://business.avn.com/articles/36788.html reads like a Sunday Times supplement, who would have thought?