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Picturing a time when people reside in large-scale 'space oases.' Mars – luxury indoor habitats made of heat-reflective material that grow their own food.
Robots are dispatched into the expansive Martian wilderness, where they can explore freely without worrying about exhaustion, radiation poisoning, or dust contamination.
Gigantic space stations and satellites are constructed while in orbit. AI is relied upon to make crucial choices, and thus the entire solar system is connected by a vast internet network.
Although this may seem like something out of a sci-fi story, the European Space Agency (ESA) aims to make it a reality within the next 15 years.
In a recent report, the organization—which includes over 20 nations such as the UK—outlines an ambitious plan for space exploration by the year 2040.
'Our aim by 2040 is to establish a robust European footprint throughout Earth’s orbits and across the solar system,' the document states.
'Exploring outer space is essential rather than optional, and this domain is no longer uncharted—it has become a realm.'
It uncovers unseen resources that pave the way for new markets and facilitate scientific discoveries.
The latest report titled 'Technology 2040: A Vision For The European Space Agency' outlines where ESA aims to position itself "in the coming decades" along with the strategies to achieve this vision.
In line with its aspirations, within the next 15 years, humanity aims to inhabit ‘abundant’ living spaces dubbed ‘space oases’ not only in Earth’s orbit but also on the moon, Mars, and well beyond.
These white domes will shield humans from cosmic radiation, providing spaces where they can rest, dine, and carry out their tasks during breaks from ventures beyond.
These will be entirely self-reliant environments, generating their own energy and sustenance, rendering supply trips from our planet obsolete.
For the first time more than ever on our planet, which has a diameter of approximately 4,212 miles, humanity will depend heavily on autonomous technologies similar to the droids from Star Wars for exploring its expansive terrain.
Similar to the 2015 movie 'The Martian,' plants will flourish in greenhouse environments with transparent ceilings, providing us with crops such as potatoes, rice, fungi, tomatoes, and various leafy vegetables.
The ESA states that the habitats should safeguard astronauts from severe external conditions, emphasizing the need for 'advanced radiation-shielding materials.'
They will include advanced sensory features designed for predicting, tracking, and reducing threats from unpredictable dangers like approaching asteroids.
When and if they touch down on Mars, comets and asteroids will be extracted for their resources, which can serve as construction materials. Additionally, these materials will be studied to provide further insights into the historical development of our solar system.
The ESA likewise imagines a future where large-scale space constructions, such as spacecrafts, satellites, telescopes, and space stations, will not be constrained by the size limits of the rockets used for launching them.
For instance, the tennis court-sized James Webb Space Telescope was meticulously and costly engineered to fit inside its launch rocket akin to a model ship in a bottle, only to unfold in space about four years ago.
Alternatively, this machinery could be produced and put together either in outer space or on the Moon’s or Mars’ surface.
Self-governing space vehicles will no longer require groups of people to guide them remotely since they will possess the necessary intellect themselves, thus removing the dependency on ground control.
In the meantime, space debris will be repurposed and utilized to build a 'circular and sustainable' space economy, thereby reducing ecological effects.
To date, human habitation in space has been limited to space stations in low-Earth orbit, where crew members stay for short periods – around six months at most.
However, in the not-so-distant future, humans might reside in space for extended periods, ranging from months to years, and perhaps even settle there indefinitely, transforming us into a civilization with multiple planetary habitats.
ESA states: "Future human exploration endeavors will include extended stays and more distant locations."
The key to the success of these endeavors will be establishing more enduring infrastructure that has greater autonomy from Earth.
Although certainly an inspiring concept, both ESA and its member countries will likely face significant challenges in turning this into reality within the next 15 years.
So far, no person has traveled farther from Earth than 248,655 miles, a record set by the Apollo 13 mission on April 14, 1970.
By contrast, Mars lies approximately 140 million miles away from Earth on average, and our sole presence there consists of scattered debris and robotic explorers. at different levels of activity .
Both NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX aim to send humans to Mars within the next two decades; however, currently, there isn’t a spacecraft available that can make this trip.
The most hopeful spacecraft is SpaceX's Starship, crafted for long-distance space exploration; however, it might take several decades before it’s prepared for a journey to Mars.
On Wednesday night, The starship burst into a mass of flame. following a failure during a standard ground test in Texas.
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