Romania 2006 Space Settlement

Space Settlement: 

Space Settlement Al Globus San Jose State University Chairman, NSS Space Settlement Advocacy Committee "For me the single overarching goal of human space flight is the human settlement of the solar system, and eventually beyond. I can think of no lesser purpose sufficient to justify the difficulty of the enterprise, and no greater purpose is possible," Michael Griffin, current NASA administrator, in 2003 testimony before Congress.

Science and Engineering: 

Science and Engineering Scientists answer questions. Engineers build things. In order to build things, it is often necessary to answer questions. In order to answer questions, it is often necessary to build things. Question: will life fill the solar system? Answer: build space settlements

Space Settlement: 

Space Settlement Not just a place to go work or visit for a limited time Not a space station (ISS, Mir) Not exploration A home in space Hundreds or thousands of residents Many space settlements (thousands) A least some residents plan to spend their life there Some residents are raising their kids

Where: Orbit?: 

Where: Orbit? To raise children that can visit Earth requires 1g Moon 1/6g Mars 1/3g Orbit any g, for 1g rotate at 2rpm = 250m radius Continuous solar energy Large-scale construction easier in 0g Short supply line to Earth (hours vs days/months) Greater growth (orbit 100+x vs. Moon/Mars 2x) Orbital disadvantage: materials Millions (NOT billions) of tons from Moon/NEOs Kalpana One weighs about 15 million tons Under Van Allen Belt substantially reduces this

What: 

What A space settlement is a home in orbit, not just a place to work. Live on the inside of air-tight, kilometer scale, rotating spacecraft.

Slide11: 

O’Neill Cylinder

Slide12: 

Kalpana One thermal rejection body mounted solar arrays and power rectenna transparent end caps 250m 550m Shielding inside rotating hull Hull 15 cm steel Population 5,000 200m

Slide13: 

Why

Growth: 

Growth Largest asteroid converted to space settlements can produce 1g living area 100-1000 times the surface area of the Earth. Reason: 3D object to 2D shells Easily support trillions of people. New land Build it yourself Don’t take from others

Wealth and Power: 

Wealth and Power China’s Ming dynasty 1400-1450 ocean exploration Pulled back, was colonized English 100 Year War 1337-1453 Failed military expansion in known world Established empire overseas English merchant marine, 1485-1509 1550s Irish colonization American colonies 1600s 625 million x energy on Earth Total solar energy available One smallish asteroid, 3554 Amun, contains $20 trillion materials. There are tens of thousands of such asteroids

Nice Place to Live: 

Nice Place to Live Great views Low/0-g recreation Human powered flight Cylindrical swimming pools Dance, gymnastics Sports: soccer Independence Separate environment Easy-to-control borders Other, for example, weather art

Slide17: 

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/shuttle-mir/photos/sts71/mir-imax/hmg0018.jpg How?

How (cont): 

How (cont) Solar energy Asteroid and lunar materials Apollo - we can do anything Profitable business Communication, earth imaging satellites Sub-orbital tourism: save your money! Orbital tourism: need $1-8 billion prize Old folks home: no wheelchairs! Small, special groups. Religious? Prisons? Solar power satellites Asteroid materials for Earth

When?: 

When? A few decades should be sufficient to build the first one No serious effort now Technology precursors Safer, cheaper launch Extraterrestrial materials Large scale orbital construction Closed ecological life support systems And much more

Who: 

Who Today: highly trained astronauts, or $20 million tourist trip to ISS $200,000 sub-orbital tourist trip in a few years Tomorrow: anyone who wants to go. 100 - 10,000,000 people per colony Ultimately, thousands or even millions of colonies Sounds unrealistic? A hundred years ago few had ever flown in an airplane. Today ~ 500 million person/flights per year.

How much will it cost?: 

How much will it cost? If you have to ask, you can’t afford it. How much did Bucharest cost? We invented money Cheaper than war $1 trillion/year Millions of deaths last few decades Massive destruction Creation of terrorist Space settlement Unknown costs, but Much, much less than $1 trillion/year Few deaths (a few hundred so far)

Conclusion: 

Conclusion The settlement of the solar system could be the next great adventure for humanity. There is nothing but rock and radiation in space, no living things, no people. The solar system is waiting to be brought to life by humanity's touch.

BACKUP: 

BACKUP

2020 Tourism: 

2020 Tourism Hotel Doctors Maids Cooks Recreational directors Reservation clerks etc. These may be the first colonists.

Low/0-g Handicapped/Elderly Colony: 

Low/0-g Handicapped/Elderly Colony No wheelchairs needed. No bed sores. Easy to move body even when weak. Never fall and break hip. Grandchildren will love to visit. Need good medical facilities. Telemedicine Probably can’t return to Earth.

People Live Everywhere: 

People Live Everywhere Every continent, including Antarctica Hottest, driest deserts Coldest, iciest regions Wettest rain forests On water For short periods, in orbit 6,000,000,000 people on Earth

Life is Everywhere: 

Life is Everywhere On nearly all land areas In nearly all waters In the rocks under the Earth In near-boiling water In ice On desert rocks On a spacecraft on the Moon

Next Target: Orbit: 

Next Target: Orbit Your lifetime: thousands of people living in orbit A few centuries: most of humanity in orbit. Next millenium: generation ships to the stars

Key Problem: Launch: 

Key Problem: Launch

Slide30: 

Stanford Torus