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Establishing Space Settlements As we plan and prepare to establish settlements in space, we will naturally find a number of crucial technical challenges. Initially we need to bring our own water, air, food, and building materials. The distance between the Earth and its colonies creates a need for self-sufficiency of the colonies and settlements. for example, the settlement will have to grow its own food and purify its own recycled water on a daily basis, and new materials will have to be grown or mined on site. Even if the settlement is not designed to be completly self-reliant, it may be nessesary to survive long periods without outside help. Each settlement will have some common challenges, and each will have unique obstacles. 1000 Planets believes that it is a good idea to begin thinking about and addressing these issues now. Below is a brief outline of the issues to be considered. 1000 Planets will call upon a wide range of expertise and creativity to address these challenges. Experiments can be established and studied here on Earth to tests our ideas and plans to ensure success when other technological challenges are accomplished. Agriculture in Space Agriculture will play a predominant role in the success or failure of each colony. Not only will each settlement have to provide the nutritional needs of every person, but morale requires that the foods available be as diverse and interesting as possible. In addition, colonists may find it nessesary to provide their own clothing, as well as many art supplies such as dyes, paints, paper, wood for carving, basket weaving materials, etc. Plants can also be used to provide breathable oxygen. Atmosphere in Space . . . or lack thereof. Space agriculture can contribute to maintaining the air we need, but there are systems to design and plan. Procedures must be in place to prevent leakage, optimize ventilation for evey section of the colony, and to provide breathable oxygen either in addition to that provided by the plants, or in case of emergency or failure in the agricultural areas. Architecture in Space The required structures for settlements need to be carefully engineered. Inspiring aesthetic designs can contribute to moving our cause forward, but they must also serve the more practical function of keeping people alive. Each settlement will have to contain enough room for: the original colonists, their possesions, water, enough plants to provide a steady food supply, any machinary (i.e. purification equipment, mining equipment, spare parts, etc.), as well as room for the population to grow and to provide for the children. Transportation in Space Of course, transportation in space is vital to establishing space settlements. A wide variety of challenges and technical solutions will present themselves. Please refer to the transportation section of our website for more information. Click here to go back to the Projects.
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