Beautiful new images of space settlement Kalpana One

> I expect that a tunnel 30 meters high would be just fine for us. One way
> to find the limits of such habitation might be to get a bunch of people
> to live for an extended time in a mall, something on the size of the
> Galleria. Their ceilings are about that tall and the feeling of
> spaciousness should be adequate for humans.

I've often thought a good dry run for a space colony would be a domed
town somewhere, perhaps north of the Arctic circle. You could have a
breezily tropical climate with 16 hours of "daylight" all year round,
and I imagine there are folks in those parts who would be willing to pay
good money for such living conditions (especially in winter).

One thing I'd like to know is: are people happier if you provide a fake
blue sky with projected clouds, a moving sun, stars at night, etc.? Or
will people generally prefer it just shine with uniform white light?
Does the answer depend on how convincingly you can do it -- is there is
an "uncanny valley" for skies?

I don't think there's any way to know for sure until you try it, and
have people living with it for a while.

- Joe