Life in space: The final frontier The year is 2100, the rainforests are all gone, the polar ice caps have melted, and mountains of garbage fill the horizon. This is what will happen if the pollution of the Earth continues on its current path. Humans will always be the biggest threat to the environment. The only way to protect the environment is to leave it alone, just like millions of years ago when humans didn't exist. The goal is to move most of the human population into living in space pods orbiting around Earth at an altitude of 36000km, creating a community and ecosystem detached from the Earth's atmosphere.
Farming space
Living Space
US D O EX T C JE O R P
farming Space farming will be the first step to providing humans with the necessary food. With direct sunlight from glass roofs, the plants create an artificial atmosphere for humans through oxygen generation. Fastgrowing vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes can produce 20 kilograms per 100sqm per day. This can be done efficiently through aquaponics in conjunction with fish farming to maximize space utilization. Animals like rabbits and chickens can also be reared due to their rapid growth rate.
solar panels Energy is a big concern, the best source of renewable energy in space would be sunlight. The spacecraft would have solar panel arrays which rotate to constantly face the sun. The electricity is stored in batteries when not in use. The energy is used for maintaining the ecosystem through planting, daily human use and operating systems of the spacecraft.
Space Farming
Aquaponics Source: Florida Sea Grant
o 2t CO nts pla
production of Oxygen for living
O2 f pla rom nts
to O2 ans m hu
Water for plants
Urine
Oxygen is crucial for humans. However, there is no natural source of oxygen in space. A way that we could produce more oxygen naturally is through plants.
CO 2 hu from ma ns
To water recovery system
ASTEROID MINING Asteroids orbiting in space are largely composed of various metals needed for building infrastructure. An asteroid with a 2.8km diameter is estimated to be worth $11.65 trillion in metals, exceeding the global metal reserves. Automated probes can mine the metals, leaving Earth's natural resources intact.
SPACE ELEVATOR Launching a rocket into space produces 300 tons of carbon dioxide and costs $20000 per kilogram of payload. To significantly reduce this cost, The space elevator will consist of two stations, one on Earth and one in space, both of which are connected by a strong tether line. Imagine a cable car, it will move along the line carrying people and materials up into space, removing the need for rockets.
Counterweight/ Space Station
Tether Line
Cable Climber
“I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space.” - Stephen Hawking Anchor/ Earth Base
references 1.NASA. “Growing Plants in Space”. (2021) https://www.nasa.gov/content/growing-plants-in-space 2. Patrick L. Barry. “Breathing Easy on the Space Station”.(2000) https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast13nov_1 3. NASA. “About the Space Station Solar Arrays”.(2017) https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/solar_arrays-about.html 4. James Doehring. , Michael Anissimov. Lifeboat Foundation Space Habitats. (2002) https://lifeboat.com/ex/spacehabitats 5. T. A. Heppenheimer. "Up on the Farm". "Colonies in Space" . Chapter 9. (2007) https://space.nss.org/colonies-in-space-chapter-9-up-on-the-farm/ 6. "Physical Characterization of Metal-rich Near-Earth Asteroids 6178 (1986 DA) and 2016 ED85" . "The planetary Science journal" . Volume 2 . number 5 . (2021) https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/ac235f 7. "Space Elevator" . "Science Fiction or the Future of Mankind" . (2018) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPQQwqGWktE
1.Gerald Kho(0343462) 3.Thaarini Muneswaran(0343175)
2.Alfred Lim(0347552) 4.Voon Yit Nan(0348824)
Space Elevator
Module: Architecture and Environment Intake: January 2022