Physicist Pekka Janhonen of the Finnish Meteorological Institute has developed a new idea to colonize somewhere other than Earth – not the moon or Mars. Instead, Janhonen proposes in a paper published on the arXiv preprint server that humans fill a giant satellite orbiting Ceres, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.

a lot Void Scientists have noted the difficulties and risks of trying to colonize the Moon or Mars – both of which have extremely hostile environments. Many in the field are promoting the idea of ​​building a structure large enough to host tens of thousands of people somewhere in space. But doing so would pose its own set of problems. Paying the costs of building such a gigantic project, for example, and protecting residents from it Solar radiationWhat about providing gravity, and where will you set up the structure? Janhonen suggests in his paper that Ceres would be an ideal place to place such a structure, making it a satellite. He notes that such an orbit would be close enough to Dwarf planet That a 636-mile space elevator can transport materials from surface to satellite for construction and resupply – Ceres has enough nitrogen, water, and Saturate To support such a project.

Janhunen has satellite plans for a dish as well – he visualizes it as more than a mile and with thousands of interconnected cylindrical structures on its surface to house humans, as well as to provide space for other necessities like agriculture and recreational spaces. He also imagines a pair of giant mirrors to harness the sun’s energy on either side of the satellite, giving the overall structure a clam-like shape. It also envisages starting with a population of 50,000 people. It is also believed that the majority of the satellite could be built from materials on the surface of Ceres. It indicates that gravity can be simulated simply by rotating Satellites At the right speed.

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