Home Away From Home

By Deena Al-Jassar

It seems that all people can talk about nowadays is global warming. The ice caps are melting, countries are expected to disappear, and Earth is running out of space. Where will we go? Scientists have been playing around with the idea of colonization in space since Neil Armstrong's famous words "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" when he set foot on the moon.

The idea of living in space is one that we all have fantasized about one time or the other. But when the time comes, will we leave the comfort of Earth and go live in space? It will not be easy. Humans need access to water, food, energy, air, communication, gravity, and other people. Many designs have been drawn out, but will they ever turn into a reality?  
             Ideas of Space Colonies date back to the 1970s. A few space Colonies were designed at NASA, Ames, which house up to a million people. The Images below (by Rick Guidace) are of Cylindrical Colonies that were proposed by American Physicist Gerard K. O'Neil. An O'Neil Cylinder would contain two cylinders that rotate in opposite directions to create artificial gravity via centrifugal force in their inner surface. Other space colony designs can be found here.

By Rick Guidace, Source

By Rick Guidace,  Source

             On a more recent note, Foster + Partner is working with the European Space Agency to come up with methods of creating homes on the moon. They have designed a four-person residence that would protect people from the unstable lunar environment. Foster + Partners and specialist Xavier De Kestelier stated: "As a practice, we are used to designing for extreme climates on earth and exploiting the environmental benefits of using local, sustainable materials. Our lunar habitation follows a similar logic. It has been a fascinating and unique design process, which has been driven by the possibilities inherent in the material."

By Foster + Partners, Source

Our perception of living in space comes from what we watch in fictional movies, unless any of you have been to space. Will there come a time where our grandchildren look back at Earth and say "my grandparents used to live there"?

Time will tell.