Editing Openai/691a2d9f-c044-8012-bccf-942bfce6334d (section)

==== Think of a comet not as “the ship” but as: ====
* a huge reaction-mass rock already moving fast
* a free bulk-transport element whose base Δv and trajectory you inherit
* a slow logistics asset, not your home

You can do at least three plausible things:

===== You don’t colonize the comet. You bolt stuff onto it: =====
* shielded vaults carrying: - frozen water - refined metals - fuel precursors - data archives - robotic factories
* small autonomous probes that detach at certain positions along the orbit

Use case:
* Want to seed the outer system or Kuiper belt with infrastructure?
* Strap prefab modules onto a comet that is already going there.

The comet becomes a massive, dumb freight train dragging a stack of smart containers.

===== A big killer for long-range propulsion is reaction mass. Even if you have a great drive, you need stuff to throw out the back. =====

You can:
* park a propulsion unit and habitat near the comet, not inside it
* mine the comet as needed for: - water (for fusion, steam, or thermal rockets) - volatile mix for high-mass exhaust

In other words, the comet is a mobile fuel quarry:
* The generational ship travels in a saner orbit of its own
* It periodically rendezvous with selected comets to top up reaction mass

That’s closer to your earlier “oasis” picture:
Not: comet = ship

But: comet = moving fuel depot + payload bundler.

===== Longer horizon, Vorbis-style: =====
* You know your civilization won’t be around forever
* You want to pre-position sealed vaults (knowledge, tools, seed banks) along outer trajectories
* You mount hardened capsules on a few comets with: - radiation shielding - passive thermal control - no dependency on your civilization’s continuity

Future generations (or different species) can:
* detect these comets
* intercept them
* recover the vaults

In that frame, comets are time capsules on ballistic archive orbits.

Not for generational ships to live in, but for successor access.