h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Kevlar is white, just a little on the yellow side.

Come to think of it that would be exciting, watching a tether launch and landing array in orbit around the moon from the earth, a bit over a hundred miles in length and brighter than most of the surface of the moon.

I think I would like to stay on Earth and try to make it a better place.

Moving most of Earth's heavy industry off planet to the Moon is one way of making the Earth a better place.

Also gets better prices in space operations of all kinds, including near-Earth satellite operations on account of lower shipping costs from the Moon.

Move as much of it as you like. I would quibble about the move being cheaper, but I have too many moments these days to concentrate on it at length.

Admitted, startup costs are high.

Resistance to the prospect is strong on account of robotics being required to make it cost effective, raising questions of second industrial revolution ethics that neither capital or labor, conservative or liberal political elements want to address considering it requires them to change their outlooks on political an economic issues generally.

Probably the opening of the Moon will have to wait until the Chinese lead the way.

The second industrial revolution is already underway, by the way.

The Japanese are currently in the lead on that one.

Long term global impact of space colonialism on world economics will be comparable to that of colonial era maritime mercantilism climaxing in the industrial revolution, orders of magnitude of improvement in standards of living and affluence.

At any rate, a Lunar tether landing and launch array would be visible from the Earth as a short bar about a 20th of the diameter of the moon, at maximum extension, but varying in length and inclination to the surface, actually seen to circle the moon above its surface against the backdrop of the sky at the right time of the month.