Robotics for conquest of space

sailorbarsoom wrote:

In the mean time, is there any way to do things
on Earth that will help out? Closed-system life support?
Maybe a "Biosphere X" to test it out, but this time don't
obsess about having a rain forest AND a desert AND a
prairie AND an ocean...

Just have what you need to keep the system going, people
and all. Heck, make it into a reality show and you can
turn a profit whether it works the first time or not.
Maybe test robots too, or not.

..

A portion of the space budget should be earmarked to simulate how life will
be in space colonies.

How much space will each individual occupy?
How will families merge into communities?
How will they recycle?
Will the ability to recycle form an important criteria in product design?
How will the work be shared?
What will be the degree of automation?
What will be the extent of manual work to keep people healthy?
What will be the nature of agriculture?
How will children be taught?
etc.

It is possible for six people to sleep In a sleeper railway compartment
measuring 10' x 6'; It should be theoretically possible to have a complete
house in four such units, occupying a space not exceeding 300 sq ft. Why
then do we make houses occupying thousands of square feet? Will it not be
easier and cheaper to manage such a house, leaving ample spare time for
other activities?

Our present lifestyle promises to take humanity over a precipice; if that
were to happen forget about space colonization. What we need are fresh
lifestyle horizons that are more environmentally sustainable. Making believe
that we are living in space colonies, has the exciting possibility of
pointing us in a new direction.

Regards,
Selvaraj

On 18 May 2011 00:55, sailor.barsoom wrote: