Spring Break
The challenges of space will lead to innovation
Scott Conover
Issue date: 7/1/09 Section: Forum
One suggested solution at NASA for air generation is a simple one - plant life.
In addition, air will likely need to be transported up into space in order to ensure a supply is available in case of purification failure, or for use as a general supply.
Third, water is essential for life, and in space, there are no ready sources of safe, consumable water. A long-term solution is to acquire ice from comets and asteroids and process them for water contents. In addition, an effective recycling system would allow astronauts to continuously use any acquired water sources for long periods of time, as they may be able to recycle the majority of the water for further consumption. One possible solution is the NASA ECLSS.
Fourth, the issues of food production create a challenge for astronauts. It would be very expensive and very difficult to haul up food for consumption by hard-working settlers, explorers and miners, especially if they lived any substantial distance from Earth. Clearly, food production in space needs to be centered where people live: in the stations, asteroids and comets where these new space dwellers are likely to find their homes.
Lastly, the first settlers of space will live away from the main populace of Earth, likely working very hard to survive and make a living from the wealth of minerals and ore in space. There is no magic innovation for this problem - only hard work, with hopefully friends and family to support them in the deep, dark skies above Earth.
Although certainly these innovations listed above are highly useful and fascinating inventions in and of themselves, they were the result of careful study and work by scientists and astronauts. How much more, then, could a clever settler or miner discover out in the darkness of space? What new, revolutionary innovation might a small group of settlers create while extracting ore or striving to survive?
Although certainly the full exploration of space has not yet come to pass, the inventions at NASA, and the inherent curiosity and desperation of man to survive - and thrive - against all odds may herald great innovations, both for the explorers, and for humanity at large.
Scott Conover is a senior in business administration and history. "Space: The New Economic Frontier" is an ongoing series of articles discussing space exploration and its social, political and economic ramifications. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Conover can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
In addition, air will likely need to be transported up into space in order to ensure a supply is available in case of purification failure, or for use as a general supply.
Third, water is essential for life, and in space, there are no ready sources of safe, consumable water. A long-term solution is to acquire ice from comets and asteroids and process them for water contents. In addition, an effective recycling system would allow astronauts to continuously use any acquired water sources for long periods of time, as they may be able to recycle the majority of the water for further consumption. One possible solution is the NASA ECLSS.
Fourth, the issues of food production create a challenge for astronauts. It would be very expensive and very difficult to haul up food for consumption by hard-working settlers, explorers and miners, especially if they lived any substantial distance from Earth. Clearly, food production in space needs to be centered where people live: in the stations, asteroids and comets where these new space dwellers are likely to find their homes.
Lastly, the first settlers of space will live away from the main populace of Earth, likely working very hard to survive and make a living from the wealth of minerals and ore in space. There is no magic innovation for this problem - only hard work, with hopefully friends and family to support them in the deep, dark skies above Earth.
Although certainly these innovations listed above are highly useful and fascinating inventions in and of themselves, they were the result of careful study and work by scientists and astronauts. How much more, then, could a clever settler or miner discover out in the darkness of space? What new, revolutionary innovation might a small group of settlers create while extracting ore or striving to survive?
Although certainly the full exploration of space has not yet come to pass, the inventions at NASA, and the inherent curiosity and desperation of man to survive - and thrive - against all odds may herald great innovations, both for the explorers, and for humanity at large.
Scott Conover is a senior in business administration and history. "Space: The New Economic Frontier" is an ongoing series of articles discussing space exploration and its social, political and economic ramifications. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Conover can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
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