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Picturing a time when people reside in massive 'space havens' out in the cosmos. Mars – high-end indoor environments constructed from heat-reflecting materials designed to cultivate their own sustenance.
Robots are dispatched into the expansive Martian wilderness, where they can venture freely without fearing exhaustion, radiation poisoning, or dust contamination.
Gigantic space stations and satellites are built in orbit. AI is relied upon to make crucial choices, and thus the entire solar system is linked through an extensive web of the internet.
Although this may seem like something out of a sci-fi story, the European Space Agency (ESA) aims to make it a real occurrence within merely 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.
'By 2040, our aim is to establish a resilient European footprint throughout Earth’s orbits and the solar system,' it states.
'Seeking expansion into space isn’t a luxury; it’s essential. Space is no longer just an unexplored boundary—it has become a realm we can claim as our own.'
'It uncovers hidden 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 pathways to achieve this vision.
In line with its aspirations, within the next 15 years, humanity aims to inhabit ‘abundant’ living spaces known as ‘space oases,’ located not only in Earth’s orbit but also on the Moon, Mars, and further into space.
These white domes will shield humans from cosmic radiation, providing spaces where they can rest, dine, and carry out their tasks during breaks from excursions beyond.
These will be entirely self-reliant ecosystems, generating their own energy and sustenance, rendering supply trips from our planet obsolete.
For the first time more than ever before on our planet, humans will depend heavily on autonomous tech similar to the droids from Star Wars for exploring this massive sphere with a width of approximately 4,212 miles.
Similar to the 2015 movie 'The Martian,' crops will flourish within glass-covered greenhouses, providing us with staples 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 sensing technologies designed to predict, track, and manage fluctuating risks like approaching asteroids.
When and if they touch down on Mars, comets and asteroids will be extracted for resources. These materials will serve as construction supplies and undergo analysis to provide deeper insights into the history of our solar system.
The ESA also imagines a future where large-scale space constructions, such as spacecrafts, satellites, telescopes, and space stations, will not be constrained by the size restrictions of launch vehicles.
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 back.
Alternatively, this machinery could be produced and put together directly in space, or on the Moon’s or Mars’ surfaces.
Autonomous spacecraft will no longer require groups of people to guide them remotely since they will possess their own necessary intellect, thus removing the dependency on ground control.
In the meantime, space debris will be repurposed and reused to build a 'circular and sustainable' space economy, thus reducing environmental effects.
So far, human presence in space has been restricted to low-Earth orbit stations, with crew members typically staying for brief durations—up to about six months maximum.
But in the near future, people would stay in space for months or years at a time, or eventually move there permanently, making us a multiplanetary species.
ESA states: "The upcoming stages of human exploration will include extended stays and more distant locations."
'The key to succeeding in these ventures will involve building more enduring facilities with greater autonomy from our home planet.'
Undoubtedly an thrilling prospect, but both ESA and its members surely face significant challenges as they aim to turn this into reality within merely 15 years.
So far, no person has traveled beyond a distance of 248,655 miles from Earth, which was reached by the Apollo 13 crew on April 14, 1970.
By contrast, Mars is typically about 140 million miles away from Earth, and our sole presence there consists merely of some debris and robotic explorers. at different levels of engagement .
Both NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX aim to send humans to Mars within the next two decades, but currently, there isn’t a spacecraft available that can make this trip.
The most hopeful spacecraft is SpaceX’s Starship, built 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 bull of flames. following an issue that arose during a standard ground test in Texas.
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