I had an epiphany the other night in a dream, that a very large multi-laminate mylar-like balloon could be constructed, sent cheaply via remote control rocket to land on and automatically install and surround the moon, and an thin atmospheric layer produced, to provide an enclosed earth-like habitat. It might require an internal and external balloon, if the moons' rock absorbs O2. Various archaebacteria/viruses might be genetically programmed to produce favorable compounds. The whole rationale for it would be to most economically terrestrialize the moons' climate for life, in preparation for other planets and satellites. Starting from this 'whole-egg' concept, building the environmental shell first, rather than piecemeal approach with small colonies, would be far far cheaper and more sensible. Carbon or Si nanotubes might fabbed there and used for shell construction. DD
I like the Moon! In fact, I believe that 99.9% of the lunar surface should be off limits to colonization and industrialization in order to preserve most of its natural habitat for exploration by future generations.
However, the remaining 0.1% of the lunar surface that would be allowed for industrialization and colonization would amount to approximately 38,000 square kilometers. That's plenty of room from probably tens of millions of permanent colonist. I'd apply the same rule to Mars which would allow us to colonize and exploit up to 145,000 square kilometers of the martian surface.
I really don't believe that a significant percentage (billions) of humans will ever live on the surface of Moons or planets in our solar system. I believe that those billions will live in artificial gravity producing rotating worlds fabricated from asteroid materials.
I consider the moon to be plausibly "Earth 2", and Mars to be "Earth 3", where new environmental technologies eventually replicate fertile earth-like environments throughout our spacial frontier. The deployment of artificially-held atmospheres (via ultrathin nano-geodesic balloon shells) would be a start in the right direction IMO. But this depends on the local abundance of locked O2, C2, H2, P2 etc.
Hi Marcel
ReplyDeleteI had an epiphany the other night in a dream, that a very large multi-laminate mylar-like balloon could be constructed, sent cheaply via remote control rocket to land on and automatically install and surround the moon, and an thin atmospheric layer produced, to provide an enclosed earth-like habitat. It might require an internal and external balloon, if the moons' rock absorbs O2. Various archaebacteria/viruses might be genetically programmed to produce favorable compounds. The whole rationale for it would be to most economically terrestrialize the moons' climate for life, in preparation for other planets and satellites. Starting from this 'whole-egg' concept, building the environmental shell first, rather than piecemeal approach with small colonies, would be far far cheaper and more sensible. Carbon or Si nanotubes might fabbed there and used for shell construction. DD
I like the Moon! In fact, I believe that 99.9% of the lunar surface should be off limits to colonization and industrialization in order to preserve most of its natural habitat for exploration by future generations.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the remaining 0.1% of the lunar surface that would be allowed for industrialization and colonization would amount to approximately 38,000 square kilometers. That's plenty of room from probably tens of millions of permanent colonist. I'd apply the same rule to Mars which would allow us to colonize and exploit up to 145,000 square kilometers of the martian surface.
I really don't believe that a significant percentage (billions) of humans will ever live on the surface of Moons or planets in our solar system. I believe that those billions will live in artificial gravity producing rotating worlds fabricated from asteroid materials.
Hi Marcel,
ReplyDeleteI consider the moon to be plausibly "Earth 2", and Mars to be "Earth 3", where new environmental technologies eventually replicate fertile earth-like environments throughout our spacial frontier. The deployment of artificially-held atmospheres (via ultrathin nano-geodesic balloon shells) would be a start in the right direction IMO. But this depends on the local abundance of locked O2, C2, H2, P2 etc.