The chatter about the "urgency" of space colonies got me thinking. Right now only 13 people have lived in space at any one time, and a space colony would involve hundreds, thousands, maybe tens of thousands, up to a million people. That's a pretty big gap between humanity's experience so far and what would be required to make a space colony work.So are there any plans or studies for a prototype/testbed "colony module" to be berthed on ISS? A module with living quarters for volunteer couples and individuals who could spend a few years on board (up to a decade?) and try to live and work there with as little input from earth as possible. Design the module with a self contained life support system, water recycling, greenhouses and animal pens, and study things like human reproduction, radiation exposure, telemedicine, and so on. Gradually expand the size of the "prototype colony" and see how it develops. And since ISS is orbiting earth there's always the possibility of an evacuation if needed, once commercial crew gets going.
Design the module with a self contained life support system, water recycling, greenhouses and animal pens...
ISS is a colony module.
If you want a larger crew size, you need to specify why and what they will do.
As far as "animal pens" I was thinking about small pigs and chickens raised for food (incl. eggs) to supplement the greenhouses.Anyway if it's not possible for a colony module to fly I would hope the testbeds Jorge mentions would at least get to be tried out at some point.
Good point about the floating "waste", that had not fully entered my mind. I wonder how past animal experiments in space (aboard the shuttle for example) dealt with that.
...and animal pens...
So are there any plans or studies for a prototype/testbed "colony module" to be berthed on ISS?
A module with living quarters for volunteer couples and individuals who could spend a few years on board (up to a decade?)
Design the module with a self contained life support system, water recycling, greenhouses and animal pens, and study things like human reproduction, radiation exposure, telemedicine, and so on.
Quote from: Bubbinski on 06/03/2012 05:57 pm...and animal pens...That won't happen until pigs fly! In all seriousness, what we need is a orbital test bed before we go large scale. A place that can test new water cycles, power generation and long-term air filtration, etc. We need a place to work out infant technology to get it to the point that could support a colony of any size. That place is called the Space Station.
I don't believe we need a long term Earth bound test as there are at present throughout the world, homes that are being used in this way, only without the oxygen creation, and air purifying system.
About animal pens, flying feces aside: we get so accustomed to eating meat (or eggs, for that matter) that we don't fully realise what it costs to obtain it. In a closed-loop environment, to breed animals, you first have to grow plants to feed them. The amount of resources necessary to obtain animal protein is much, much larger than for an equivalent amount of plant protein (of which pulses, i.e. beans and especially soy beans, are an excellent source). The first space colonists, at least, will be vegan. Then, when they really get tired of eating tofu, they will go for animals that are used to living in a three-dimensional, bare-bones, contained environment for which automated life support, including waste treatment, is well understood: fish.
Most people who have commented on this, are trying to be positive. ...
I am casually interested in crowd funding models where the barrier of entry is at the granularity of one dollar...
Yeah, I continue to be surprised that people still think an ecosystem is a good way to support humans. It's not even a good way to do it here on Earth! Gerard O'Neill had it right: dedicated farming modules which are engineered for high crop yields proximate to dedicated living modules that are engineered for human comfort and growth. Simple chemical systems with predicable operation and failure modes are what you want for something as critical as life support. Biology does not provide that.
Yeah, I continue to be surprised that people still think an ecosystem is a good way to support humans. It's not even a good way to do it here on Earth! ... Biology does not provide that.
We should be able to do it with only energy input.
Quote from: Tass on 06/06/2012 08:06 amWe should be able to do it with only energy input. That's what the Sun does here on Earth.
Human beeings do not want to eat artificial protein and some algae mush for three years.
They need high quality vegetables, fruits and diverse protein sources.
If you want to grow plants (even genetically modified for dwarfism and reduced gravity) some kind of artificial gravity will be necessary.
Water recycling from urine and air humidity is demonstrated every day at ISS, but the quality of the filtered water is not good enough for drinking, rather it is used for O2-production.
Quote from: tlesinsk on 06/04/2012 06:26 amAbout animal pens, flying feces aside: we get so accustomed to eating meat (or eggs, for that matter) that we don't fully realise what it costs to obtain it. In a closed-loop environment, to breed animals, you first have to grow plants to feed them. The amount of resources necessary to obtain animal protein is much, much larger than for an equivalent amount of plant protein (of which pulses, i.e. beans and especially soy beans, are an excellent source). The first space colonists, at least, will be vegan. Then, when they really get tired of eating tofu, they will go for animals that are used to living in a three-dimensional, bare-bones, contained environment for which automated life support, including waste treatment, is well understood: fish.By this stage, we will probably be able to grow animal muscle tissue in vitro, or create animal protein substitutes with genetically engineered plants or algae. Animals have entrails (that must be eaten - ugh) and hides, teeth bones and so on that must also be processed. Plus they stink. With fish, there's less of this, plus they can live in the water you use for radiation shielding. And you get a nice aquarium as a bonus.