OBJECTIVES of SPACE EXPLORATION, DEVELOPMENT, COLONIZATION & INDUSTRIALIZATION

The purpose and functions of space activities in the future are as vast and manifold in detail as space itself, so I thought that making a list of these objectives to clarify what we should discuss and present pertaining to space development and colonization would be a good idea.

The entries herein are organized by order of when in the future Humanity may do them, the fulfillment of which is dependent on what was done prior to the entry.  Each entry isn’t exactly a concrete event in of itself, but rather something more along the lines of a subject heading that the Foundation can research and advocate in our space projects, or serve as inspiration for further research. As we work with this material, I hope that we can revise the entries herein to be presented a more realistic chronological order of potential occurrence.

Under the heading of a specific planet or region of space, the entries are presented chronologically, but only in relation to other entries under the same heading. So for example, the events happening around the Moon would not occur at the same time as events around Mars. The idea is to make a spreadsheet that places each event on a timeline. Their position on that timeline is dependent on when their prerequisite events occurred before – so if an orbital ring megastructure is found to be constructed in 2500AD, it must mean that attributed space infrastructure must have been present before then on the timeline. It will be the job of the Foundation’s Space Team to ascribe an approximate date for each of these entries, based on careful modelling.

You may notice that a majority of the objectives presented here are industrial ones. Why focus on such activities for the future? Well, it is my view, one which is shared by other futurists and transhumanists, that interest in space will be driven by industrial aspirations. This fact may be faced with dismay by Space Age scientists and philosophers and those who subscribe to their ethos, who had longed for the exploration of space to be done in the spirit of scientific curiosity, with a respect for the sanctity of a universe untouched by industry. These notions are respectable, and indeed the most desirous for ventures of this kind, but alone cannot sustain a major presence in space. Although it is assumed that some amount of industry in space will occur, it is always unsettling for people to consider disassembling planets as a likely occurrence in the far future, and would like to believe that civilization’s appetite for resources will somehow be satiated. This outlook futurists take as a mere demonstration of ignorance regarding a future civilization‘s aspirations. Such a civilization may be keen on maximising the potential of their technology and society, no doubt seduced by the benefits such optimisation offers.

(Ranked by order of relevance up until the Asteroid Belt, then listing goes off of distance from the sun):

Earth:

(Industry):

• Increase interest in space
• Orbital infrastructure (communication satellites)
• Orbital infrastructure (manned scientific) & Orbital infrastructure (tourism)
• Orbital infrastructure (power satellites) & High Orbit infrastructure (astronomy)
• Orbital infrastructure (assembly factories)
• Orbital infrastructure (space ports)
• Orbital infrastructure (agricultural)
• Orbital infrastructure (sky hook)
• Drag in NEO asteroid from for study
• Input of asteroid / Lunar/ other resource sources used for the construction of massive Earth-based complexes
• Orbital infrastructure (climate control)
• Space habitats (Bernal Sphere, Stanford Torus)
• Space habitats (O’Neill Cylinders)
• Orbital Ring construction & Space elevator(s)
• Consecutive Orbital Ring construction
• Orbital infrastructure (Ribbonworld)
• Space habitats (McKendree Cylinders, Bishop Rings)
• Complete Earthly ecumonopolis
• Strategic terramorphing
• Birch planet shell-world construction
• Planetary Redeployment?

(Political):

Increase interest in space  & establish a code of law for space exploration and development

Unite the Earth’s nations in exploring space

Living in space?

Address the emergence of space-based nations and organizations & address the purpose and functioning of conflict in space, be it orbital, on other planets or in deep space.

(Scientific):

• Increase interest in space
• Better ground-based observories
• Orbital infrastructure (satellites)
• Orbital infrastructure (manned scientific)
• High Orbit infrastructure (astronomy)
• Orbital infrastructure (agricultural)
• Drag in asteroid from belt for study
• Space habitats (Bernal Sphere, Stanford Torus)
• Space habitats (O’Neill Cylinders)
• Space habitats (McKendree Cylinders, Bishop Rings)
• Strategic terramorphing
• Birch planet shellworld construction?

Moon:

(Exploration / post-Artemis years):

• Explore and assess more locations for inhabitation
• Assess the potential for life inhabiting the body, past or present
• Found permanent manned colonies on the Moon.

(Industry):

• Assess locations and materials available for industry
• Investigate the technologies used for these activities
• Orbital infrastructure (communication satellites)
• Orbital infrastructure (manned scientific) & Orbital infrastructure (tourism)
• Set up experimental industrial facilities & Orbital infrastructure (power satellites)
• Set up fully inhabited colonies with the relevant life support and energy requirements
• Orbital infrastructure (assembly factories)
• Orbital infrastructure (space ports)
• Build better power production facilities & Orbital infrastructure (climate control)
• Begin full Moon mining industry
• Construct Lunar cities and total infrastructure for industry & begin construction of mega-structures to facilitate the export of materials (space elevator or mass-drivers)
• Space habitats (Bernal Sphere, Stanford Torus)
• Lunar and Asteroid resource input used for the construction of the Lunar ecumenopolis & Space habitats (O’Neill Cylinders, Bishop Rings)
• Paraterraformation of the Moon
• Space habitats (McKendree Cylinders, Banks orbital) & Consecutive Orbital Ring Construction
• Orbital infrastructure (Ribbonworlds)
• “Hollow Moon”/ “Moonship”?

(Political):

• Establish a code of law for Moon exploration and development & unite the Earth’s
• Nations in exploring and colonizing the Moon
• Address the emergence of Moon-based nations and organizations
• Address the purpose and functioning of conflict on the Moon
• Examine the nature of future Earth-Moon relations.

(Scientific):

• Examine the effects of Lunar existence on the Human body & Perform     experiments that deal with the Lunar environment
• Assess the viability of growing food, recycling water, gathering fuel and harvesting energy on the Moon
• Assess the viability of doing industry on the Moon
• Perform experimental living and industry on the Moon
• Build astronomical observatories in suitable locations on the Moon
• Investigate and follow the phenomenon of long term habitation of the Moon.

Mars:

(See the Moon for a general overview of plans)  ->  full terraformation or paraterraformation  ->  Birchplanet shell world Mars?

The Asteroid Belt:

• Assess the best asteroids for harvesting
• Make launch costs go down for economic missions & Set up experimental materials processor on NEO asteroid
• Send automated probes to asteroids for preliminary industry prepping
• Drag back small NEO asteroid to Earth orbit for study
• Set up self assembling, autonomous drone craft on asteroids for materials harvesting (returns materials either via periodically returning drones or human recovery crews)
• Send larger droneships w. ion drives or similar to drag back belt asteroids for local harvesting
• Send manned crews out to oversee operations in the Belt & Found permanent unmanned industrial facilities in the Belt
• Found Manned Industrial Colonies in the Belt on largest asteroids (Ceres, Pallas, Vesta etc)
• Space habitats (Bernal Sphere, Stanford Torus) & Asteroid Brains
• Space habitats (O’Neill Cylinders, Bishop Rings)
• Space habitats (McKendree Cylinders, Banks Orbital)
• Moon Brains
• Dyson Swarm locality (Jupiter Brains, Rung Worlds, topopolises, Ring Worlds).

Solar System at Large (Lagrange Points, Interplanetary Space, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud Localities etc):

• Investigate interplanetary space for potential usage, especially in regards to the establishment of artificial habitats, laser batteries, power gathering facilities and research posts
• Assess all laws attributed to interplanetary space  ->  Build the first experimental facilities as described above
• Set up permanent artificial habitats and other structures as described above, and in other entries under “Orbital habitats”, including asteroid-brains
• Construct Dyson Swarm Locality (including Moon Brains and Jupiter Brains)
• Matrioshka Brain stellar engine?

Sol:

• Perform the required in-depth science to truly understand our parent star, for the purposes of scientific appreciation, industrial needs and potential colonization
• Build stellazers of varying frequencies for solar-sail technology and also use said stellazers to liberate certain materials from the solar mass to use in industry
• Construct solar-lifting facilities for full scale resource harvesting and solar life-extension
• Begin construction of Dyson Swarm Locality & Construct Nicole-Dyson beam stellazer batteries
• Begin consecutive Orbital Ring construction for colonial purposes
• Matrioshka Brain?
• Stellar engine?

Mercury:

(See the Moon for a general overview of plans)  ->  paraterraformation/ worldship conversion/ complete disassembly?

Venus:

(See the Moon for a general overview of plans, with the caveat of most planetary infrastructure existing in Venus’s atmosphere until temperatures and pressures normalize on the surface)  ->  terraformation using solar shades, cometary bombardment and atmospheric seeding  ->  Birch Planet shell-world Venus?

Jupiter:

• Investigation of Jupiter’s atmosphere and immediate regional space with the aim of assessing its planetary characteristics and resource availability & Orbital infrastructure (communication satellites)
• Sending automated probes for atmospheric and geomagnetic research
• Sending automated probes for experimental atmospheric harvesting
• Establishing a drone-based industry harvesting the atmosphere of Jupiter and shipping the gains back to Earth
• Establishing permanent droneships to collect resources, with returns being sent back automatically or manually by manned missions & Orbital infrastructure (power satellites)
• Orbital infrastructure (manned scientific)
• Establish Jovian system manned colonies (human existence on Jupiter itself is impossible due the planet’s gravity, however specialized high-g clades might exist there)
• Build permanent floating automatic cloud-harvesters in the atmosphere of Jupiter
• Orbital infrastructure (assembly factories)
• Orbital infrastructure (space ports)
• Construction of Orbital Habitats (all) & Consecutive Orbital Ring construction for mass atmospheric harvesting and export
• Birchplanet shell-world conversion using layers of Ribbonworlds, Orbital Rings, Banks Orbitals or Rung Worlds
• Interstellar fusion-candle worldship conversion? Complete atmospheric dissolution and Birch-planet shellworld conversion or planetary disassembly?

Jovian Satellite System & Greek Camps:  

(See the development plans for the Moon and the Asteroid Belt, respectively, for this group of objects and the space they inhabit. All non-Galilean satellites are destined for complete disassembly)

Saturn:

• Investigation of Saturn’s atmosphere and immediate regional space with the aim of assessing its planetary characteristics and resource availability & Orbital infrastructure (communication satellites)
• Sending automated probes for atmospheric and geomagnetic research
• Sending automated probes for experimental atmospheric harvesting
• Establishing a drone-based industry harvesting the atmosphere of Jupiter and shipping the gains back to Earth
• Establishing permanent droneships to collect resources, with returns being sent back automatically or manually by manned missions & Orbital infrastructure (power satellites)
• Orbital infrastructure (manned scientific)
• Establish Saturnian system manned colonies
• Build permanent floating automatic cloud-harvesters in the atmosphere of Saturn  ->      Orbital infrastructure (assembly factories)
• Orbital infrastructure (space ports)
• Construct cloud habitats in the clouds of Saturn (Saturn‘s more Earth-like gravity would allow for human inhabitation on Saturn itself) & Construction of Orbital Habitats (all)
• Consecutive Orbital Ring construction for mass atmospheric harvesting and export & Chandelier Cities constructed down from the Orbital Rings
• Birchplanet shell-world conversion using layers of Ribbonworlds, Orbital Rings, Banks Orbitals or Rung Worlds
• Interstellar fusion-candle worldship conversion? Complete atmospheric dissolution and Birch-planet shell-world conversion or planetary disassembly?

Saturnian Satellite System:

(See the development plans for the Moon and the Asteroid Belt, respectively, for this group of objects and the space they inhabit. All non-major satellites are destined for complete disassembly)

The Ice-Giants:

(See the development plans for Saturn and its satellite system for these objects and their region of space)

Pluto:

(See the Moon for a general overview of plans)

Trans-Neptunian Objects:

(See the Asteroid Belt and Solar System at large entries for plans concerning these objects)

Interstellar:

• Investigate methods of propulsion by category of attainable sublight speeds & the affiliated support technology used in such systems for the purposes of interstellar exploration and colonization.
• Establish objectives for interstellar exploration and colonization.
• Send out unmanned, small and inexpensive interstellar probes (project Starshot-level).
• Send out larger unmanned interstellar probes (Project Orion, or Project Daedalus-level).
• Establish interplanetary colonies, and finally civilizations, and test the durability of society in isolation.
• Explore theories of governance and economy over interstellar distances.
• Send out precursor and prep craft to nearby systems.
• Find the required source of resources needed for small interstellar vessel construction.
• Establish infrastructure for the construction of small colonial interstellar vessels (seed ships).
• Find the required source of resources needed for large interstellar vessel construction.
• Establish infrastructure for the construction of large colonial interstellar vessels (Generation ships, Sleeper ships, Methuselah ships).
• Waves of colonization.
• Interstellar civilizations?
• Worldships?
• Stellar Engines?
• Pan-galactic optimization?

This article is a work in progress. Please leave a comment or periodically check back for updated content 🙂