Space Settlements

spreading life throughout the solar system

Humanity has the power to fill outer space with life. Today our solar system is filled with plasma, gas, dust, rock, and radiation -- but very little life; just a thin film around the third rock from the Sun. We can change that. In the 1970's Princeton physicist Gerard O'Neill with the help of NASA Ames Research Center and Stanford University showed that we can build giant orbiting spaceships and live in them. These orbital space colonies could be wonderful places to live; about the size of a California beach town and endowed with weightless recreation, fantastic views, freedom, elbow-room in spades, and great wealth. In time, we may see hundreds of thousands of orbital space settlements in our solar system alone. Building these settlements will be an evolutionary event in magnitude similar to, if not greater than, ocean-based Life's colonization of land half a billion years ago.

Basics

• Who? Pioneers at first, billions of ordinary people later.
• What? Artificial ecosystems inside gigantic rotating, pressurized spacecraft shielded from radiation.
• Where? In orbit; near Earth at first.
• How? Solar energy, lunar and asteroidal materials, and lots of hard work.
• Why? To grow.
• When? Good question, when do you start working on it?
• How much will it cost? If you have to ask, you can't afford it ... unless

Student Design Contest

• Contest information.
• Space colony designer's corner for students.
• Teacher's page.
• Space Settlement Quiz
• Continuing Education. A list of colleges and universities where you can prepare for space colonization work.
• Student Employment Opportunities at Ames Research Center.

Online Space Settlement Books

• NASA Ames/Stanford 1975 Summer Study.
• Space Resources and Space Settlements NASA Ames 1977 Summer Study.
• Space Resources Overview NASA-California Space Institute 1992 Summer Study.
• Space Resources Volume 1, Scenarios NASA-California Space Institute 1992 Summer Study.
• Space Resources Volume 2, Energy, Power, and Transport NASA-California Space Institute 1992
• Space Resources Volume 3, Materials Nasa-California Space Institute 1992
• Space Resources Volume 4, Social Concerns NASA-California Space Institute 1992
• CoEvolution Book on space settlement edited by Stewart Brand and published in 1977. This work contains arguments for and against space colonization, very interesting.
• Entering Space by Robert Zubrin.
• The High Frontier by Gerard K. O'Neill.
• The Millenium Project by Marshall Savage.
• Orbital Space Colonies by Al Globus.
• Colonies In Space A Complete online book by T. A. Heppenheimer.

Images

• NASA Ames summer studies (1970's).
• Space Studies Institute slide set.
• Images of the moon from the National Space Science Data Center.
• Asteroid and Comet Fact Sheets.

Miscellaneous

• Bootstrapping space Communities with Micro Rovers and High Tensile Boot Laces (Tethers). How to Start Building Cities and Factories Throughout the Solar System, for What We Are Now Spending on Space, authored by Bruce A. MacKenzie, Space Studies Institute - Senior Associate, and National Space Society - Director.
• Centripetal Vivarium Space Habitats by Andrew Thompson. Includes pictures and 3D model.
• A Futurist Perspective For Space by Dr. Kenneth J. Cox, (kenneth.j.cox1@jsc.nasa.gov), June 2001. (pdf file)
• Isaac Asimov on space settlement.
• Distant Space Travel Better Conducted As Family Affair. University of Florida Daily News article.
• SpaceSettlers. A site devoted to space settlement discussion.
• The Space Show. The Space Show focuses on timely and important issues influencing the developmentof outer-space commerce and space tourism, as well as other related subjects of interest to us all.
• Astrobiology Web
• Space settlement contest NAS highlights. These are highlights associated with the design contest that were reported to NAS management.
• Videos of weightless living.
• Annotated bibliography.
• Ringworld: a Java applet to interactively explore some aspects of living in a rotating environment, particularly jumping off high platforms and throwing balls.
• Links to solar sail web sites.
• Lewis One space settlement design: intended to improve on the 10,000 inhabitant designs of the mid-70s depicted in the artwork (see above). The new design features large shielded micro-g construction bays, low-g agriculture near the rotation axis to reduce the length of cylindrical settlements, large micro-g visitor and recreation areas, space viewing, and low-g recreation.
• Space Settlement papers
• Paper: "AsterAnts: A Concept for Large-Scale Meteoroid Return and Processing Using the International Space Station," Al Globus, Bryan Biegel, and Steve Traugott.
• Space playgound a zero-g playground designed by four, five, and six year olds at the Santa Cruz Children's School.
• General Public Space Travel and Tourism
• Related web sites.

Other Space Settlement Web Sites

• Colonizing The Cosmos by Al Globus.
• The Space Settlement Institute. Finding ways to make space settlement happen in our lifetimes.
• the Space Setlement Initiative. Founded by Alan Wasser, former CEO of the National Space Society proposes legislation authorizing lunar land claims recognition to help catalyze private sector investment in building permanent settlements.
• The Artemis Project to establish a self-sufficient lunar colony.
• Isaac Asimov on space settlement.
• 4Frontiers corporation. An emerging space commerce company focused on the settlement of Mars. It recognizes the economic potential resulting from the convergence of four current and upcoming space frontiers - Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and Asteroids.
• Cygo Space Initiative. CYGO's Space Initiative has to do with planning and deliberate action towards mining near earth asteroids, molding and casting of interlocking pieces, assembly of private interconnectable space vehicles, assembly of space platforms in various configurations (incl. settlements and quarters for residents and tourists) and assisting in the setting up of new commercial and industrial operations in space.
• BIO-Plex Information Exchange. NASA Ames Research Center In-House LIfe Support Technology Review Databook.
• Biosphere 2 was able to support 8 people for two years in a (almost) materially closed system, although many problems were encountered. See the FAQ. Such closed systems are essential for space colonization.
• Burning the Cosmic Commons: Evolutionary Strategies for Interstellar Colonization. A paper by Robin Hanson
• Mike Combs' Space Settlement FAQ.
• Mike Combs' space settlement page.
• Demoz, an open directory project on Space Colonization.
• Freeluna.com dedicated to the proposition that the colonization of outer space is critical for the long term survival of the human species, and that colonization of the moon and the exploitation of the moon's natural resources is one of the best first steps in that incredible journey off planet.
• Adaptation of Stereolithography to the In-Situ Construction of Lunar Basalt Structures A novel method of basalt casting with applications towards semi-autonomous robotic processing is presented by William Clawson.
• First Millennial Foundation.
• P.E.R.M.A.N.E.N.T. the Projects to Employ Resources of the Moon and Asteroids Near Earth in the Near Term.
• Space ColonyH. Try this psychologically-based, problem-solving leadership game set in space.
• Spaceflight or Extinction A civilization restricted to the surface of a single planet has inevitable threats to its long-term existence. Natural threats such as epidemics and impacts from space objects, and man-made threats such as nuclear and biological war, will be joined by new threats from emerging sciences and technologies.
• Space Quotes to Ponder What famous people (and some not famous) have said about why humankind must expand into space.
• The Space Frontier Foundation.
• Space Studies Institue. This organization hosts a space settlement conference every two years.
• National Space Society. Join the vision and put Space in your future.
• Space Future for everyone who wants to go to space.
• Spacesettlers. Share your thoughts on space setttlements and related topics with fellow spacesettlers.
• Uranos A club for grouping people interested in the development of human civilization and its expansion into extraterrestial space.

Parting Words

Arthur C. Clarke once wrote that new ideas pass through three periods:

• "It can't be done."
• "It probably can be done, but it's not worth doing."
• "I knew it was a good idea all along!"

Author: Al Globus

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