Last Friday, ESA proceeded to the second launch of the year of its light launcher Vega-C, developed by the Italian manufacturer Avio. A successful shot that marks much more than a simple technical performance: it illustrates the growing ambitions of space Europe in the face of a sector in full processing. This launch is also an opportunity to question the next challenges of the space conquest, while it enters a new era carried by public actors, and by private actors, always more numerous. In this context, exploring the unknown now requires as much innovation as responsibility, both the issues are vast, complex, and sometimes still vague.
Space site
With the progress of technologies will increasingly arise the question of being able to build better, more effectively, for a minimum of resources. Almost, SpaceX introduced a technical revolution by being able to recover the first floor of its rockets, de facto de facto reducing costs. But everything suggests that this kind of revolutions may have to multiply and democratize, always facilitating access to space, and for a lower cost.
Consequently, when robotics for example, has continued the revolution it has experienced for several years, the question will arise to send robots to orbit, perhaps coupled with AI, whose goal will be to build directly in orbit of spacecraft. The only concern would remain to transport raw materials, but once there, more restrictions linked to gravity, so to us the torford’s torus!
Would then become possible the construction of vessels of all shapes, sometimes better suited to a space environment, like a space station, which would be in the shape of a wheel and turning on itself, creating an artificial gravity. We especially think of the space station in 2001 Odyssey of spaceor to the “traveling” station project of the Gateway Foundation. In this case, that a spacecraft has an artificial gravity would change the situation since it would resolve in part, many problems caused by weightlessness, especially on the health of astronauts. Indeed, we observed during their stays in the international space station that their bone density was greatly reduced, but also a very low density of red blood cells, a distorted cornea (which can make them blind), or a risk of developing a higher 4 to 5 cardiovascular disease.
“V” station – 2001, Odyssey of space
In addition, without restriction of gravity, no physical restriction on the size of the vessel, which does not have to enter the cap of a rocket here. Consequently, it would become much more doable to build a ship that meets the security needs of astronauts a lot, including protection against radiation. We can for example imagine around the inhabited parts, modules filled with water to stop these said radiation.
Asteroid mining
On earth, natural resources are exhausted. Rare metals, in particular, become more and more difficult and expensive to extract. However, our solar system is full of it: iron, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, silver, platinum … The approximately 600,000 asteroids identified form a huge reservoir of raw materials, still intact. And in a logic of human expansion outside the earth, these resources could well make all the difference.
But exploit them undoubtedly represents One of the biggest challenges to come. Because if the idea seems simple – to seek elsewhere what we are missing here – its implementation is extremely complex. Nothing is yet in place. Drier an asteroid, implement semi-autonomous stations, extract, store, transport, refine, all in an environment without atmosphere, without gravity, and often hundreds of millions of kilometers: it is a huge technological jump. And that is without counting the interview, coordination, management of breakdowns and risks.
Asteroid drill – Homeworld 2
One can imagine several scenarios: drilling stations placed directly on asteroids, which dig, extract, then send their cargo to refineries placed in orbit, or even squarely in the asteroid belt if robotics becomes fairly reliable to function without constant human presence. But we are still far from the account. Just digging in a serious environment, without atmosphere, exposed to solar radiation and extreme temperatures, already poses a lot of problems. And behind that, you have to transport, store, treat, maintain the machines … It is a huge site, which will require considerable means.
It is for all these reasons that the mining of asteroids promises to be One of the great challenges of tomorrow. Not just a technological feat, but a real turning point in our relationship to space. If we want to stay up there, build, explore, settle elsewhere than on earth, then we will have to learn to use what space has to offer. And that will not be easy.
Colonize another world
We could not miss out on, of course one of the greatest challenges that awaits us in the centuries to come is the colonization of another world. So, we can consider that colonizing the moon will be a beginning, but it is nevertheless not the same challenge as to colonize a world as Mars, too distant to be dependent on land aid in the event of concern.
It is however a crucial step to take if one wants to claim the title of interplanetary species and if one aims to expand ever more. Establishing perennial bases is a necessity as soon as their maintenance from Earth is expensive and complex.
“The earth is the cradle of humanity, but you don’t spend its whole life in a cradle”
Constantin Tsiolkovsky
We can then imagine an autonomous Martian colony, with its own hydroponic farms, its own capacity for generation of oxygen and water, an energy autonomy. But these elements are only the basis, and are not sufficient for the development of a long -term society. It will be necessary to develop the capacities of the colony in terms of engineering, important on site, ideally before their arrival, enough machines, robots, to build and level the land for their arrival. One can imagine a real army of robots, programmed to build a city, before it comes to be inhabited by humans.
Human colony on Mars – Total Recall
Once these are on site, we can imagine that several factories will already be functioning and will produce food, drugs, tools …
The multiplication of this kind of colonies will give humanity a second breath, with the creation of new El Dorado, can no longer be an American dream but a Martian dream, a cosmic dream …
