Module 2 - What is a Space Colony?
A space colony is a possible solution for how humans may be able to live in space for long periods of time without experiencing many of the challenges discussed in Module 1.
A space colony is simply a space station that is floating in the middle of space, usually between Earth and the Moon or between Earth and Mars. This space station is designed to be a permanent home for hundreds to thousands of people. Think of it as a small city in space. There would be homes, businesses, parks, movie theaters, roads, ways to travel within the city (buses, cars, bicycles, etc.).
Because a space colony is a city in space, there are many things that have to be thought out. Below are a list of things to consider when designing a space colony.
A space colony is simply a space station that is floating in the middle of space, usually between Earth and the Moon or between Earth and Mars. This space station is designed to be a permanent home for hundreds to thousands of people. Think of it as a small city in space. There would be homes, businesses, parks, movie theaters, roads, ways to travel within the city (buses, cars, bicycles, etc.).
Because a space colony is a city in space, there are many things that have to be thought out. Below are a list of things to consider when designing a space colony.
Gravity on a Space Colony
The very first problem that needs to be solved in order to live on a space colony is gravity. In Module 1, we discussed how big of a pain it would be to live in microgravity for a long period of time. Humans would not want to live their whole lives like that. So, we need to somehow create gravity.
Well, that sounds impossible, doesn't it? It is impossible to create gravity on a space station of any size. No matter how big we make it, it just won't be big enough to provide enough gravity for humans to move around comfortably. So size is not the answer. But there IS a way to simulate gravity. It is called centripetal force.
CENTRIPETAL FORCE
Centripetal force is the force that causes an object to follow a curved path. Think of it like this. Imagine you filled a bucket with water. Then you grabbed the bucket by the handle and started swinging it around over your head in a circle. What would happen to the water inside? You'd think the water would fall out, but you'd be wrong. In fact, what happens is the centripetal force pushes the water down to the bottom of the bucket and no water falls out.
We can use this same idea with a space station. Scientists believe if we created a space station in the shape of a sphere, tube or wheel (any circular shape, really), we could spin that space station around and the centripetal force will push everything inside against the walls, creating an effect that would feel almost exactly like gravity.
This means you could walk around inside the space station and it would feel like normal gravity and normal flat ground, even though all the walls would actually be curved. Sounds crazy, right, but it would actually work!
It would be easy to get the wheel going too. In space, since there is such little gravity, once an object starts moving, it will continue to move unless something comes along to stop it. So, it would take a large amount of energy to start the wheel spinning, but once it started, it would continue to spin.
Well, that sounds impossible, doesn't it? It is impossible to create gravity on a space station of any size. No matter how big we make it, it just won't be big enough to provide enough gravity for humans to move around comfortably. So size is not the answer. But there IS a way to simulate gravity. It is called centripetal force.
CENTRIPETAL FORCE
Centripetal force is the force that causes an object to follow a curved path. Think of it like this. Imagine you filled a bucket with water. Then you grabbed the bucket by the handle and started swinging it around over your head in a circle. What would happen to the water inside? You'd think the water would fall out, but you'd be wrong. In fact, what happens is the centripetal force pushes the water down to the bottom of the bucket and no water falls out.
We can use this same idea with a space station. Scientists believe if we created a space station in the shape of a sphere, tube or wheel (any circular shape, really), we could spin that space station around and the centripetal force will push everything inside against the walls, creating an effect that would feel almost exactly like gravity.
This means you could walk around inside the space station and it would feel like normal gravity and normal flat ground, even though all the walls would actually be curved. Sounds crazy, right, but it would actually work!
It would be easy to get the wheel going too. In space, since there is such little gravity, once an object starts moving, it will continue to move unless something comes along to stop it. So, it would take a large amount of energy to start the wheel spinning, but once it started, it would continue to spin.
The idea of centripetal force can be observed with a roller coaster loop. Why don't the people in the roller coaster fall out of their seats while they go over the loop? No, it's not the seat belts that are helping them, it's centripetal force that pushes down against the loop, keeping the people from falling out.
This is an example of a possible design for a space station. This is from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. This design would work because this wheel would continue to spin around and around, creating centripetal force and would simulate gravity.
Energy
OK, so now we have a circular space station spinning around in space. Great, now how do we provide power for it to do what it needs? The answer to this is technology that already exists: solar power.
Think about it, you're in the middle of space. There is no atmosphere to get in the way, there's no weather to block the sunlight. There's no nighttime to worry about. You get sunlight 24/7. That means continuous energy. The space station would have to have plenty of solar powers on the outside, but once they were installed, the Sun would take care of the rest. The International Space Station, which already orbits the Earth, uses solar panels to power itself.
Think about it, you're in the middle of space. There is no atmosphere to get in the way, there's no weather to block the sunlight. There's no nighttime to worry about. You get sunlight 24/7. That means continuous energy. The space station would have to have plenty of solar powers on the outside, but once they were installed, the Sun would take care of the rest. The International Space Station, which already orbits the Earth, uses solar panels to power itself.
Food, Water and Atmosphere
If people are going to live on a space colony, they're going to need air to breathe, food and water. This may seem difficult, but the answer is easier than you could ever imagine: photosynthesis. There would have to be plants in space in order for there to be life. The plants can create oxygen for humans and the humans can create carbon dioxide for the plants. We would only have to add in a heavy dose of nitrogen to begin with and the atmosphere would take care of itself.
As far as food goes, there would probably have to be an area of the space colony that was dedicated to farming. The crops would likely grow well too because there is no fear of bad weather or lack of water. Plus, the plants would get all the sunlight they ever wanted. Another benefit of plants is an effect they create called transpiration, where water leaves the plants and returns to the atmosphere. This would create enough humidity that could be trapped and turned into water. There are other more complicated methods of recycling water as well.
A farm in space would probably not be able to supply all the food necessary for the people, so there would have to be a way for food to come on shuttles from Earth to the space colony.
As far as food goes, there would probably have to be an area of the space colony that was dedicated to farming. The crops would likely grow well too because there is no fear of bad weather or lack of water. Plus, the plants would get all the sunlight they ever wanted. Another benefit of plants is an effect they create called transpiration, where water leaves the plants and returns to the atmosphere. This would create enough humidity that could be trapped and turned into water. There are other more complicated methods of recycling water as well.
A farm in space would probably not be able to supply all the food necessary for the people, so there would have to be a way for food to come on shuttles from Earth to the space colony.
Farms in space would provide food, water and an atmosphere for the people living on a space colony.
Protection from Radiation
One of the great dangers in space is receiving too much harmful radiation from the Sun. On Earth, the atmosphere protects the planet from receiving too much of this radiation. In space, there is no such protection. A space colony would have to create some sort of a system block the radiation. Lead is a good material to block some types of radiation, but it's very heavy and would be expensive to build a space station out of. Coming up with protection would be extremely important.
Government and Business
The final thing to consider in a space colony is what types of businesses would be needed and what would the government be like?
There would have to be businesses on the colony otherwise people would get bored. There would have to be some farmers to take care of the farms on the space colony. There would probably be engineers that helped take care of the station itself. There would also be a need for people to prepare food in restaurants. In fact, life on the space colony would probably have to be similar to life on Earth otherwise people wouldn't be very comfortable. There would be a need for stores and movie theaters and other entertainment activities.
The government on the space colony would also be important. Whenever people live together, there will always be disagreements and possibly fights. When this happens, there needs to be a government and a leader, someone the people can turn to so they can get help solving their problems. What type of leadership and government would be on a space colony? That's not an easy question and it would probably be one of the more difficult parts of setting up a space colony.
There would have to be businesses on the colony otherwise people would get bored. There would have to be some farmers to take care of the farms on the space colony. There would probably be engineers that helped take care of the station itself. There would also be a need for people to prepare food in restaurants. In fact, life on the space colony would probably have to be similar to life on Earth otherwise people wouldn't be very comfortable. There would be a need for stores and movie theaters and other entertainment activities.
The government on the space colony would also be important. Whenever people live together, there will always be disagreements and possibly fights. When this happens, there needs to be a government and a leader, someone the people can turn to so they can get help solving their problems. What type of leadership and government would be on a space colony? That's not an easy question and it would probably be one of the more difficult parts of setting up a space colony.
Conclusion
A space colony would be a challenging adventure that would take some time to set up and get used to, but it is possible. We just have to make it happen.
Now that you've studied the information in Module 2, it's time to take a QUIZ!
When you have completed the QUIZ for Module 2, please click here to go on to Module 3.
Now that you've studied the information in Module 2, it's time to take a QUIZ!
When you have completed the QUIZ for Module 2, please click here to go on to Module 3.
