Milky Way, Launch, and Landing
Image Credit & Copyright: Devin Boggs
In the future we will need to carry so much into orbit we wonder it may be more economical to gather resources far off Earth so that the expense of lifting them is not so great. I shudder to think of mining the moon albeit there is so much 3He. The expense of liftoff from Mars is so much less than Earth but even the expense of taking mining equipment there is very great. But, no so great that it could not be accomplished.
Manufacture in space is a mandatory requirement as any long-term vessel will require refurbishment during its journey. I estimate 10,000 persons on board at least to carry all knowledge of Earth, and to pass on the skill of training. The requirements of 'growing' food alone seems onerous but as we grip with scales this will seem an ordinary accomplishment to those involved.
Of course, I say 'growing' with quotations because much will be synthesized in trays, rather than to fat up meat. Even the trays in stacks for growing plant-based foods will take up quite an area and amount of energy. In space, energy is not considered to be limitless as weight is a heavy burden upon thrust.
All matter and all materials will need to be infinitely recyclable, anything out a portal is lost energy, lost resource, lost consumable, lost from the internal cycle. If it cannot be recycled it means so much more that must be carried with, and carried up into service.
Fusion energy systems may be a part of the answer, on Earth we can hardly be trusted with the best materials. Shifting large hectares of land into tall high sheds on Earth show that we can. Infinitely recyclable water hardly seems like anybodies cup of tea but it is necessary. And where do we think we will carry so much fuel, food and water? Many things are best composted into soil and then plants grown up.
If a ship is hard and with constant linear velocity gravity then even the floors of the halls will wear and need to be resurfaced. Do we think that the floors will be surfaced? If they are hard and we have gravity they might be, we all know that walking and standing on hard floors is bad for our feet. All of these processes need to be developed to be completely contained in a giant mobile ecology.
And in all of this preparation, no matter how far we eventually venture, we must leave the Earth in pristine condition.
-HRjJ
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