15 r, the distance of a point on the entrance opening from the longitudinal axis of the body means; and, a = inclination of the axis of the paraboloidal segment from the longitudinal axis of the body means. 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the entrance end is formed into a slot, the slot being aligned with a line 20 focus energy directing means. 10. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising: thermal storage means for receiving the mass of material after contact of said mass with the walls of the body means; means receiving said mass from said thermal storage means for producing work; and, 25 18 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mass of material is comprised of a substance absorptive of infrared radiation. 13. Apparatus for facilitating energy flow, compris ing: body means having walls which define a cavity and an entrance opening to the cavity, the walls being formed of material relatively near the entrance opening which is a good absorber of infrared radiation relative to the material of which the walls are formed at portions of the body means relatively further away from the entrance opening; a flowable mass of material; and, means for directing a flow of said mass along the walls of the body means to cool certan portions of said body means relative to other portions thereof. 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the mass of material is comprised of a substance absorptive of infrared radiation. 15. The apparatus of claim 13 and further comprising means for directing energy into the entrance opening of the body means, the flow of mass being directed by said mass flow directing means away from the entrance opening of said body means. 16. The apparatus of claim 13 and further comprising window means surmounting the entrance opening of the body means and sealing said cavity from ambient. 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the energy directing means are disposed within the sealed confines of the window means. 18. The apparatus of claim 13 and further comprising window means surmounting the entrance opening of the body means and sealing said cavity from ambient, the means for directing a flow of said mass being disposed within the sealed confines of the window means. To perhaps oversimplify one aspect of the question - One possible future is for NASA to continue at its pace The other approach, then, is for NASA to quicken its - perhaps, for example, taking a realistic and flexible - trar tecnial gal. I propose a more comprehensive Long-term frie frontier" program with an explicitly stated overall etrial gal and timetable to strive for. Does it really mare mon difference whether we take a *space prograr" or "people program" approaon? I suggest it may be one of the most important decisions in the history of tre ran species. It is not often we get a crance to eliminate all human poverty and end all war. Opecifically, for the first time in ran history we now have via space and space science the practical means to acceive what the social scientists have only speculated about, we may not get another chance in centuries, if ever. There are realistic reasons why we car stop spreading poverty and war beyond our tiny planet when we have been unable to end it aboard ship. As urban planners have noted it would be easier to build a new - 3 city rather than have to work with a decaying old one. Re "fighting" the population problem and giving "utopia" (democracy) a fair chance, the settling of America (not merely the slow evolution of Europe) was the road (unconsciously) taken. The difficult job of settling the American frontier seemed to a lot of people at the time to be a silly, nutty idea. The United States has been called the first new nation. And because we were new, we could idealistically but perhaps for the first time realistically give our ideals a fair ("neutral") chance. At the time, the miraculous results greatly surprised a large number of supposedly intelligent level-headed people. But we have come a long way in 200 years. The question today is not whether a non-democratic government is a necessary evil. Democracy was very idealistic - but perhaps it needed a new land, a new frontier, to also prove itself realistic. Today the question is whether we will end all human poverty and war. With only a few exceptions, space scientists admit that technologically we theoritically can end all human poverty via "the high frontier", possibly by the mid-21st century. There are no doubt various space programs (past, present, future) which are exceedingly justified. These programs are not discussed herein. The program herein under discussion should more properly be viewed as a people program, not a space program. A few points to keep in mind about this program: 1. Whether the program costs $50 billion or $500 billion (how does one put a price on ending all human poverty and war?), once the initial development (say, a few decades at most) is done - no further funds will be required. The space habitats will be entirely sef-sufficient, will more than pay for themselves, and will without any additional funds manufacture more and better habitats. 2. The habitats will eventually prove to be not only Earth-like (grass, trees, etc.) but even better than Earth (no pollution, complete control over environment, etc.) They will be homes in space, not "space capsules". - 3. Eventually, but, likewise, in the foreseeable future (before the mid-21st century, if we so decide now) millions, even billions (not just thousands) will be living in space. 4. This "people program" will greatly improve the lives of people on Earth re employment, energy (directly or indirectly), population, resources, and environment. 5. The space habitats may to some extent decrease the felt need of people or nations to "steal" from another. 6. The space habitats will allow-encourage social diversity and experimentation, including ethical and existential evolution of the individual. 7. To be successful, the program will have to be multi |