DraftBy happenstance, I just read two other novels that used an inhabited Asteroid Belt and Outer Planets as a backdrop: [b:Protector|100344|Protector|Larry Niven|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347876333s/100344.jpg|2576385] by [a:Larry Niven|12534|Larry Niven|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1182720933p2/12534.jpg] and [b:The A.I. War: The Big Boost|10902136|The A.I. War The Big Boost|Daniel Keys Moran|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1301353959s/10902136.jpg|15818199] by [a:Daniel Keys Moran|196482|Daniel Keys Moran|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1323292796p2/196482.jpg]. In all three cases, including Abaddon, the authors address the aspect of vast distances and velocities without resorting to such devices as instantaneous or FTL travel, and hyperdrives. Hence, the narratives portray, to some extent, the travel time and fuel requirements for moving from one place to another in that region of the solar system. But this brings up the issue of materials supply and economics: just how viable is such a development? Can the region grow beyond just being a mining operation managed from earth or mars?
