From: wandering_philosopher@socratic_discipline.org.retro.com   
      
   We have been in space for nearly fifty years.  Over that time how many   
   objects have been launced and how amy have been severly damaged or   
   destroyed by meteors?  One? maybe two?  And if there were any, none   
   have been manned craft, which tend to be more robustly built.   
      
   The danger of collision is extremely small and one has to balnce the   
   potential risk with the cost of avoiding that risk.   Some of your   
   passive systems sound interesting.  But they would to the weight and   
   will increase both the cost of the craft and its launching.   
      
      
   On 30 Jul 2005 19:40:13 -0700, "A.W.R."   
    wrote:   
      
   >If one wanted to have a wall between vacuum and .15 Oxygen atm (or 1   
   >atm air if you wish), what material will after a micro-meteor passes   
   >through patch itself??? This is rather than the thick wall or shield   
   >defense against micro-meteors.   
   >   
   >1.  With "1 thin metal wall", you get some stretching of metal then   
   >puncture with no sealing.  Or is this wrong?   
   >   
   >2.  With "super-stretchable film" might one get long tube of stretched   
   >film then puncture, so somehow the tube seals itself either by being   
   >flatly pressed against remaining air by pressure or due to   
   >self-adhesion??  I know its hard to get stretching due to super-speed   
   >of meteor but possible at all??   
   >   
   >3.  With film that doesn't stretch but is "multi-layer" film or metal   
   >walls lying next to dozens of other layers, if one allowed layers to   
   >shift might not the layers post-strike shift to seal and avoid complete   
   >path to space???  Layers shouldn't stretch, which would block any   
   >shifting.  I know hard to imagine layers of material any of which could   
   >be pressure wall, but maybe imagine metal tubes inside each other slide   
   >on top of each other while heated so later contract and pressurize   
   >(this idea is getting complicated...)   
   >   
   >4.  Is there some goop that could be put in between layers or maybe put   
   >in "goop-bags" like bubblewrap that any meteor would go through and   
   >thus immediately apply to any puncture, thus sealing it (so don't try   
   >to fight meteor with this wall, use thin wall and then patch   
   >afterward).  Of course goop-bags would block transparent walls.   
   >   
   >5.  Finally, how about using "floating goo-balls" that would be sucked   
   >to hole to space and plug the leak, maybe in splat-ball shells to keep   
   >goo-balls from sticking???  Use many floaters or a few big rubber   
   >balls, to minimize time?   
   >   
   >6.  Or is there no such thing as a passive patching option, and "active   
   >human or robot patcher" always needed.   
      
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