Ace Dreamer Wrote:If you've got plenty of power, in the form of solar energy, and you're prepared to accept low yeilds, then going from CHON to organic material doesn't require a complete chemical industry. You might like to look at the 1950s experiments into the origin of life from the 'primordial soup':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller%E2% ... experiment
Venus is short of hydrogen, Luna is short of carbon and nitrogen, mixed asteroids seem to have most of what you want, without the pain of hauling it out of a gravity well. Part of the economy of Fenspace is likely getting the right chemical elements to the right place. Ammonia may be a useful feedstock, though its nasty stuff. Ammonium nitrate, plus some carbon to soak up the balance, say as hydrocarbons, is pretty well solid oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere.
Solid CO2 from Venus to Saturn's moon Titan, ammonium nitrate and carbon goes to Luna, ammonium nitrate and minerals go from Luna to Venus. Ammonium nitrate and carbon, gives you solid CHON, sold all over the Solar System.
As for biomass, plants quickly provide it. Just give them an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, with trace carbon dioxide, water, a few trace minarals, and water. Viola!
If you want to cheat, there're quite a few handwavium recycling set-ups, that take waste carbon dioxide and sewage and provide you with air, water and stuff a human can live on. Though after a while you'll kill for a bacon sandwich (or the vegetarian equivalent - marmite/vegemite?).
My point was that your asteroid without even a crew, just a group of 3 AIs and some robots did it all on its own. No external supplies, no large crew, just some self contained system.