Missile-Based Cryogenics... Terraforming? For Colonizing!? YEEESSS.

[Father Tim]

Sorry.  Aurora Mass Drivers can't move 'rock'.  The trans-newtonian physics they operate on can only hurl TN elements.  You'll have to bombard your enemy with expensive minerals, not free dirt.

why?

'Cause them's the rules.

Presumably because it was considered unbalancing to allow cheap dirt.

[Father Tim]

Sorry.  Aurora Mass Drivers can't move 'rock'.  The trans-newtonian physics they operate on can only hurl TN elements.  You'll have to bombard your enemy with expensive minerals, not free dirt.

And if you have a human meatbag encased in a single occupant sized TN element composed space coffin?

Given the number of tons of TNE in a mass driver packet, the human (or other species) meatbag is a rounding error.

[Tikigod]

Sorry.  Aurora Mass Drivers can't move 'rock'.  The trans-newtonian physics they operate on can only hurl TN elements.  You'll have to bombard your enemy with expensive minerals, not free dirt.

And if you have a human meatbag encased in a single occupant sized TN element composed space coffin?

Given the number of tons of TNE in a mass driver packet, the human (or other species) meatbag is a rounding error.

Mass driver packet sizes when launching minerals have nothing to do with anything in this scenario.

[boggo2300]

Sorry.  Aurora Mass Drivers can't move 'rock'.  The trans-newtonian physics they operate on can only hurl TN elements.  You'll have to bombard your enemy with expensive minerals, not free dirt.

why?

'Cause them's the rules.

Presumably because it was considered unbalancing to allow cheap dirt.

That's not the reason they only do TN-Minerals