Bizarre Concept Claims Humans Could Live On Cities Built In Asteroids

Humanity is keen on exploiting space and uncovering its mysteries, especially in light of the technological advances over the last few decades. A project that was birthed in the Covid lockdown era envisions a world wherein our cities are built on asteroids.

Yep, you read that right! Future cities could come develop on asteroids. Humans would essentially collect rock rubble in a giant bag made from nanofiber mesh, allowing astronauts of the future to build a habitat inside loose bits of the asteroid that spins in space.

University of Rochester illustration / Michael Osadciw

"This project started as just a way for physicists and engineers to blow off steam, set aside worldly stresses for a while, and imagine something crazy," PhD candidate and study's lead author Peter Miklav?i? from the University of Rochester, said in a statement.

These cities could be as huge as Manhattan (about 57 square kilometres) and solely built on space rocks, that is if the asteroid is 300 metres across.

"We're taking a science fiction idea that has been very popular recently ¡ª in TV shows like Amazon's "The Expanse" ¡ª and offering a new path for using an asteroid to build a city in space," added co-author Adam Frank, also from Rochester, in the same statement.

Building a city in space

The team argues that if the concept works, low-cost space exploration could become a reality; with the potential to make off-planet living a reality for everyone and not just billionaires.

NASA

The study is inspired by the "O'Neill cylinder" concept that was first proposed by physicist Gerard O'Neill in a 1972 study. This design essentially includes two cylinders that rotate in the opposite direction.

Also read: 'Planet Killer' Asteroid Hiding Behind The Sun's Glare May Hit Earth One Day

According to Miklav?i?, space rubble can be loosely held together by gravity supplanted by a flexible bag that holds the materials together to provide a base for the city.

NASA

The mesh bag, as Space.com explained, would be ideally made from carbon nanofibers that are lightweight and strong enough to hold the asteroid together to create a habitat.

The asteroid inside a bag would keep throwing its rocks towards the sides, helping the bag expand and becoming more snug. The rubble at the bag's side would be packed together through artificial gravity, also protecting inhabitants from space radiation.

NASA

Also read: Asteroid Impact: Last Images Clicked By DART Before It Smashed Into Dimorphos

A study based on the research was published in January in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences.

What do you think about living on an asteroid? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Howell, E. (2022, December 21). We could build space cities in asteroids like in sci-fi with this wild concept. Space.com. https://www.space.com/wild-asteroid-concept-the-expanse-cities