Concept from Yesterday: Colonies from Nickel-Iron Asteroids

From a NASASpaceflightnow forum post:

"Back in the early 1960's, when Men were Men and Aerospace Engineers dreamed BIG, Dandridge Cole of Martin Co. suggested making arti-g colonies from nickel-iron astorids. Process was simple: drill a hole to the center of the asteroid, pumo a boatload of water in, then seal up. Then, using truly huge mirrors, refelct sunlight onto the asteroid until it nearly melted. The water inside would boil, and what with the nickel-iron alloy being soft and malleable, it'd blow up like a balloon."

Link: Images - 1

Link: Images - 2

Link: NASASpaceflightnow forum on "asteroid habitat with gravity"

Link: Article on Dandridge M. Cole's work -"Islands in Space: The Challenge of the Planetoids"

References
1. Levitt, I. M., and Cole, Dandridge M. Exploring the Secrets of Space: Astronautics for the Layman. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall, Inc., 1963, pp. 277-278.
Link: Amazon.com

2. Cole, Dandrige M., and Cox, Donald, W. Islands in Space: The Challenge of the Planetoids. Philadelphia, Chilton Books, 1964.
Link: Amazon.com

3. Cole, Dandrige M., and Scarfo, Roy G. Beyond Tomorrow: The Next 50 Years in Space. Amherst, Wis., Amherst Press, 1965.
Link: Amazon.com