The Physics and Astronomy Department colloquium was held in a lecture hall in Hasbrouck Lab at the University of Massachusetts. I was an undergraduate studying physics and astronomy from 1972-1976. As was the custom, tea, coffee and cookies were offered prior to the colloquium at the late afternoon. This offering always assured that some of us students would attend, even if we had little hope of understanding the lecture!

The presentation given by Gerard O'Neill was an exception, basically any student beyond the first year mechanics could follow what he had to say very easily. My recollection is unclear, but I believe his lecture at the University of Massachusetts was given after publication of his paper in the September 1974 issue of Physics Today.

The basic point of his lecture was the possibility of building large inhabitable structures in the Earth-Moon system. These structures could be constructed from materials found on the moon. With this approach, the structures were far more economical that if the entire mass required was lifted from the Earth's surface.

I will spare you the calculations, but intuition is clear enough, the moon has less mass, thus less gravity, and no atmosphere to speak of. As a result the cost of lifting mass from the moon to comparable orbits in the earth-moon system is far lower than from the surface of the earth.

I enjoyed Professor O'Neill's view. He painted an optimistic view of the future. Furthermore, the diagrams of his proposed "space colonies" were interesting in their own right.

Shortly after his lecture, I was compelled to write him at the Physics Department at Princeton. Through him I learned of the formation of the L-5 society in Tucson, AZ. I promptly joined the L-5 society staying a member to the present of its successor organization, the National Space Society.

Your comments on this page are welcome!

Justin Milliun