User:Auric/Colonization of Sol

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Sol has been suggested as a possible target for space colonization of the inner Solar System, along with Mars, Venus, the Moon and the asteroid belt.

Advantages

Solar energy

Orbiting habitats would be able to take full advantage of solar power.

Valuable resources

The plasma could be harvested from near orbit by a sun scoop.

Disadvantages

The lack of any substantial gaseous atmosphere, high temperatures, and long solar days would all lead to significant challenges for any future human settlement.

Cosmic rays and solar flares create a lethal radiation environment in space. In orbit around certain planets with magnetospheres (including Earth), the Van Allen belts make living above the atmosphere difficult. To protect life, settlements must be surrounded by sufficient mass to absorb most incoming radiation, unless magnetic or plasma radiation shields are developed.^[1] In the case of Van Allen belts, these could be drained using orbiting tethers^[2] or radio waves.^[3]

Passive mass shielding of four metric tons per square meter of surface area will reduce radiation dosage to several mSv or less annually, well below the rate of some populated high natural background areas on Earth.^[4] This can be leftover material (slag) from processing lunar soil and asteroids into oxygen, metals, and other useful materials. However, it represents a significant obstacle to manoeuvering vessels with such massive bulk (mobile spacecraft being particularly likely to use less massive active shielding).^[1] Inertia would necessitate powerful thrusters to start or stop rotation, or electric motors to spin two massive portions of a vessel in opposite senses. Shielding material can be stationary around a rotating interior.

Habitability

The surface of Sol is completely inimical to all planetary life.

Fictional depictions

In fiction, attempts generally focus on orbital habitats.

References

^ ^a ^b Spacecraft Shielding Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine engineering.dartmouth.edu. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
^ Mirnov, Vladimir; Üçer, Defne; Danilov, Valentin (November 10–15, 1996). "High-Voltage Tethers For Enhanced Particle Scattering In Van Allen Belts". APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting Abstracts. 38: 7. Bibcode:1996APS..DPP..7E06M. OCLC 205379064. Abstract #7E.06.
^ "NASA Finds Lightning Clears Safe Zone in Earth's Radiation Belt - NASA". Retrieved 2023-12-11.
^ NASA SP-413 Space Settlements: A Design Study. Appendix E Mass Shielding Archived 2013-02-27 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 3 May 2011.

External links

[Space_colonization_spacecraftshielding-1] Spacecraft Shielding Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine engineering.dartmouth.edu. Retrieved 3 May 2011.

[Space_colonization_mirnov1996-2] Mirnov, Vladimir; Üçer, Defne; Danilov, Valentin (November 10–15, 1996). "High-Voltage Tethers For Enhanced Particle Scattering In Van Allen Belts". APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting Abstracts. 38: 7. Bibcode:1996APS..DPP..7E06M. OCLC 205379064. Abstract #7E.06.

[3] "NASA Finds Lightning Clears Safe Zone in Earth's Radiation Belt - NASA". Retrieved 2023-12-11.

[4] NASA SP-413 Space Settlements: A Design Study. Appendix E Mass Shielding Archived 2013-02-27 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 3 May 2011.

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