Who among us couldnt use an out-of-this-world vacation?
Meanwhile, Elon Musks out there planning exactly what the buildings will look like on Mars.
Life in glass domes at first.
Eventually, terraformed to support life, like Earth.
Its just too hard.
Bad news for space nerds
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Unfortunately, living in space isnt as simple as replicating life on Earth.
But compared to Earth, outer space, the Moon, and Mars are allhellishly harsh environments.
Construction
We dont have the technology to build massive structures in space.
And that limits our ability to resolve some of the most difficult problems with living in space.
In the movies, characters walk around on spaceships as if they were taking a stroll on Earth.
But space doesnt work that way and artificial gravity remains science fiction.
Thanks to centrifugal force, a space station rotating at sufficient velocity could theoretically create artificial gravity.
But were talkingmassivestructures here some scientists believe theyd have to beseveral miles across.
Safety
There are literally no safe spaces in outer space.
The moment we leave Earths atmosphere, were completely beholden to our technology.
If your ship malfunctions in space, theres no pulling over to fix it.
Furthermore, none of the heavenly bodies near our planet offer the same protections as Earth.
Temperatures on the Moon range from 260F to -280F daily.
On Mars, the average temperature is -81F.
The science behind making other planets habitable is purely speculative.
Elon Musk honestly suggested we should considerdropping a nuclear bomb on Marsto kick start its atmosphere.
That should tell you exactly how nuanced our ideas on off-world colonization are.
But with no atmosphere, life outside of Earth would be eternal confinement.
The first civilians who attempt to live in space will be as much prisoners as they are pioneers.
Astronauts operating just outside the Earths orbit require teams with hundreds of support personnel to keep them alive.
They cant just rocket up into space and fly around willy-nilly.
Gravity is more important than you think
The human body has evolved over millions of years.
Our digestive system uses gravity.
Removing us from the gravity we were designed to live inhas catastrophic effects.
Itd be nearly impossible to maintain muscle mass.
And theres not much research on what that would mean for our hearts and brains.
Theres currently no solution to this problem.
Functional artificial gravity in space or off-planet remains squarely within the realms of science fiction.
Theres only one Earth.
