The colonization of the solar system began long ago. Because 7.5 billion people live on Earth, because here we have developed all the necessary technologies in order to live, and mother nature, in principle, actively helps us in this. And what seems to us here has long been obvious and publicly available, out there, outside our planet, all this will turn out to be extremely valuable.
I will say right away: we already have about 95% of the necessary technologies for the implementation of the project of colonization of other planets. And these small 5% are the reason why we generally strive for space. The reason why we do all this. The idea is that the first daredevils who find themselves on the surface of other planets will exist in conditions that are absolutely not adapted for their bodies, organisms. So these are the people who will give us 5% of the missing technologies that can significantly change our lives.
I think many of you have seen the moon. So here it is Moon It is the only space object that has been visited by man. Do not argue with the fact that the Americans were on the moon. They were there, unfortunately. There is one reinforced concrete proof of this: all the automated stations that we sent there and which partially returned to Earth brought us micrograms of soil. And these guys from the USA brought kilograms - and sent them to all the museums of the world.
In fact, the Moon has long been regarded as the main object for colonization. The main reason is that it is very close to fly to it. If you take a train from Yekaterinburg to Vladivostok, then it will take as much time as flying to the moon and back. Accordingly, if we place something there, we will be able to fix it, fix it and generally come to the rescue very quickly.
Looking ahead, I will say that the first object to be colonized is Mars. Because it is much more human-friendly than other surfaces. The bottom line is this: if you just want to walk on the surface of the moon, look at the stars, then this is one question. And when you go there for quite a long time - it's a completely different story. Because if a person from Earth, for example, jumps in a building built on the surface of the Moon, then he will simply break through the ceiling. He will not be able to walk there, because the physical abilities of a person are absolutely not designed for the conditions of reduced gravity on the moon. That is, moving a person to the moon will lead to fatal changes in the body. And if we had not stopped evolution with the help of medicine, then perhaps we would have somehow modernized and adapted. But we have been deceiving nature for a long time, and she will play a cruel joke with us on the Moon.
And yet we want to go there. And we want to go there for a variety of reasons. At a minimum, we need to move the technology level forward, otherwise we will become isolated. But this requires at least some economic feasibility. The problem is that we will not find unique materials on the Moon, since all the planets of the solar system consist of approximately the same substances. There is no elixir of eternal life, no philosopher's stone. On the other hand, there is a lot of helium-3, which is needed to create a thermonuclear reactor. And a thermonuclear reactor is energy, which will very soon become the main unit for calculations all over the world.
There is an index of suitability of planets for colonization. Before the industrial revolution, the Earth's index was equal to one, that is, 100% usable. Now this figure has dropped to 97%. The second planet in the fitness index with 67% - Mars. Therefore, all colonization programs turned from the Moon to Mars. Yes, he is far away. Yes, the start window opens once every 26 months. Yes, it takes 80 to 240 days to fly there, depending on how much money you have. But the planet itself is suitable for life. Although there are some points that many enter into a stupor. For example, on Mars, the boiling point of water is 10 degrees Celsius. It will boil if you just pour it into the palm of your hand. On the other hand, gravity is better there and at the very least there is at least some kind of atmosphere.
Now the population of Mars is 7 robots. And we, in principle, are ready to join them, because there are projects for the colonization of this planet, and technologies to ensure life there. But there are two reasons why we are still not there: capitalism and the lack of economic viability. After all, there, as on the moon, there are practically no resources useful to us. Although, logically, ours will end sooner or later.
We do not need to move a lot of people to Mars. We will not solve the problem of overpopulation by colonization. And in general, this is not done for such a purpose. In the next hundred years, a hundred people will be on the surface of the Red Planet, no more. Let me explain once again: we need colonization so that people on other planets, in special conditions, create technologies that would be useful for us, earthlings.
Very often they say that there is a wonderful planet for colonization - Venus. But the worst thing this planet has is its atmosphere. This is the finale, the tragedy and the end. On the surface of this planet, the temperature is about 500-600 degrees Celsius, all-destroying winds rush there. In general, naming such a planet after a woman is straight to the point. The spacecraft that we send there, as a rule, die there.
If you find yourself on the surface of Venus, then such a mass of air will press on you that it will seem to you that you have plunged a kilometer under water. Naturally, the surface of the planet is not suitable for life. But ... in its atmosphere there is a layer where the pressure and temperature are comparable to those on Earth. That is, there are still chances for the colonization of Venus, it will simply not be a colony on the surface, but a base freely floating in the atmosphere. You will not believe, but what I am saying now is not science fiction, but a real NASA project.
The next contender - the closest to the Sun - Mercury. A disgusting place. This is where you should definitely go last. First, flights to the inner region of the solar system are much more expensive than flights to the outer. It's cheaper to fly to Pluto than to Mercury. Secondly, Mercury is completely devoid of atmosphere and is not protected from solar radiation in any way. During the day, its surface heats up to +500 degrees Celsius, at night it cools down to -200. On the other hand, if you adapt solar panels to such a temperature difference, they will produce tremendous power. Plus, due to its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is even more rich in helium-3 than the Moon.
Of course, there are many problems that have not been solved yet. And the main one is gravity. But while we are on Earth, we know where the bottom is, and we have the opportunity to move up. Into the space.
The moon is a cold and completely inhospitable celestial body. However, it attracts the attention of scientists. They calculated that it would not be very expensive to build a settlement on the Moon: 10 billion dollars (the original price tag was 10 times more!). The construction of such a base would be very profitable. Firstly, it is more convenient to send research expeditions from the lunar base; secondly, hydrogen for ship fuel can be taken right there, at the lunar poles. So, unless some lunar Nazis start on the moon, this planet could become the goose that lays the golden eggs!
There are many ideas for what a lunar colony should look like, from inhabiting craters to inflatable space stations in orbit. Concrete houses against the background of all this look healthy and even a little boring. In 1992, scientist Dong Liu Ling examined rock from the surface of the moon and found that it was full of material for making concrete. In particular, the mineral ilmenite, which includes oxides of iron and titanium. According to Dong Liu Ling, concrete can be made from it, which, according to its characteristics, will be even stronger than the earth. And even then it is possible to erect buildings of the most bizarre architecture on the Moon, gravity allows this.
Cloud cities on Venus
Our neighbor Venus is a dangerous thing. The pressure is 92 times that of Earth, but it has clouds of sulfuric acid in abundance. But don't let that worry you: by the time the acid starts eating away at your skin, you'll already be dying from the heat, as the temperature on Venus is 500°C.
Nevertheless, scientists do not give up hope one day to populate Venus. Of course, not its surface itself (at least until we learn to tolerate extremely high pressure and sulfuric acid). Venusian cities will be located at an altitude of 50 km above the surface of the planet, where the pressure is approximately comparable to the Earth, and the temperature does not rise above 75 ° C. Which, of course, is a bit high, because the highest recorded temperature on Earth is 56.7 ° C (observed in Death Valley in the USA).
The aircraft will be airships (the size of a Boeing 747) with helium and solar panels. This program has already been launched at NASA and has the ambitious name HAVOC (High Altitude Venus Operational Concept). According to the founders of the mission, despite the apparent complexity, it is much easier to populate Venus than Mars. It is twice as close to Earth (it takes only 400 days to fly to Venus and almost 900 days to Mars!), and spacecraft don't have to perform complicated maneuvers to land on its surface.
Artificial atmosphere on Ceres
Ceres is a dwarf planet with a diameter of only 950 km, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
In other words, it is a huge ice rock hanging somewhere in the middle of the void. There is practically no gravity on Ceres (2.8% of the earth), but many minerals are concentrated, such as palladium and platinum. In addition, Ceres is 25% water, that is, there is even more of it than on Earth. True, this water is located in a layer of ice 90 km thick. And from the water, scientists say, rubbing their hands, you can make oxygen and fuel for spaceships, which would be very useful to the settlers. To all of the above, Ceres is extremely well located: between the terrestrial planets (Earth, Mars and Venus) and the gas giants (Jupiter, Neptune and their friends). They are seriously considered by earthlings as sources of raw materials, so Ceres, with its low gravity and good location, can become a convenient transit point.
Since there is no atmosphere on Ceres, the only way to settle on it is to create a habitable dome with an artificial atmosphere and gravity. Then another and another can be attached to this dome, until the entire surface of Ceres is colonized. Of course, these are not plans for the very near future, but there have already been successful attempts to create such a dome on Earth (albeit without artificial gravity). It remains only to cross our fingers and wait for the development of technology.
Kuiper belt
American physicist Freeman Dyson, winner of many prestigious awards, including the Lorentz, Max Planck and Enrico Fermi awards, has devoted a lot of research to space, and all of them are both crazy and brilliant. The main work of the scientist is devoted to the Dyson sphere, but he also has ideas regarding other parts of the solar system. In particular, the Kuiper belt, a dense region of comets near Neptune. These comets often form soldered groups, in other words, they cluster together. On one of these groups, Dyson proposes to organize a colony. It is planned to tie the comets with a long cable.
Dyson proposes to extract energy for the cold-cold world in the Kuiper belt using huge (about 100 km in diameter) mirrors, which will provide about 1000 megawatts of energy.
Free floating capsules
In 1975, NASA was thinking about the possibility of creating colonies in outer space without being tied to any celestial body. One of the projects was the bolosphere (“bolo” means “independent”).
These are two twenty-meter spheres connected by a two-kilometer corridor. They will be in constant rotation to provide their inhabitants with a kind of earthly gravity. The spheres, which can accommodate up to 20 people, will provide residents with everything they need: energy (from solar panels), food (it is planned to set up beds with vegetables inside), and even the ability to reproduce the sphere so that the first settlers can grow entire cities like honeycombs.
Underground oceans on Europa
Europa, a moon of Jupiter, has gained indecent popularity among fans of science fiction as a place where extraterrestrial life can be. It's all about the underground oceans (more precisely, guessing that they might be there). NASA is even preparing an unmanned mission to study Europe for life. It would be great to find brothers in mind so close! True, they would most likely turn out to be single-celled organisms, but we are not racists, after all!
To be honest, Europa is not the most pleasant place you would want to be: the temperature is -170 ° C, there is no attraction, but Jupiter constantly irradiates it with a power of 540 bar. Therefore, a hypothetical base on Europa could appear only in one of the underground oceans. Having drilled through the thick crust of ice, the naturalists would comfortably sit in one of the air bubbles. On the other hand, the source that maintains the underground ocean in a liquid state has not been studied, so we advise you to think twice before signing up as a volunteer.
Colony of O'Neill
The idea of an extraterrestrial settlement was developed by a group of scientists from Princeton led by Gerard O'Neill in 1974. Located between the Moon and the Earth, the station would be a giant cylinder (32 km long and 5 km in diameter) with artificial gravity, where they could to accommodate 10 million people.Despite the fact that while this colony remains purely hypothetical, in fact, the only difficulty in its construction is financing.The cost of the colony is $ 100 billion.But the creator believes that the construction would have paid off in 10 years! And no, not by selling calendar cards, but by broadcasting solar energy to Earth.
Robert Bigelow Air Station
Entrepreneur Robert Bigelow is the owner of Bigelow Aerospace, a space tourism company. He launched two modules into Earth orbit in 2006-2007: Genesis I and Genesis II. Their distinguishing feature is variable dimensions: when the launch vehicle entered orbit, the modules were in a folded state, and then more than doubled in size. The company is currently working on a commercial Bigelow space station and has announced a $50 million prize for an inventor who can come up with the idea of a spacecraft for flight.
Dandridge Cole's colony ships
Tsiolkovsky was thinking about colony ships, but the idea of flying cities was developed only in the 1960s. Even before O'Neill, the scientist Dandridge Cole proposed his own version of the settlement of the solar system. Unlike O'Neill, who was going to build modules from lunar materials, Cole planned to use asteroids for these purposes.
There are some nuances. Of course, not all asteroids are equally useful and suitable for building space bases. The most suitable can be considered those that contain alloys of tin and iron. Following Dandridge's design, a tunnel would have to be drilled in the center of the asteroid, filled with water, and sealed on both sides. Then, using the energy of sunlight, heat the asteroid so that the boiling water stretches its walls. As a result, the hollow insides of the asteroid will become habitable for humans.
Dyson tree
Theoretical physicist Robert Dyson predicted the emergence of genetically modified trees that could be planted on comets to create an atmosphere on them as early as 1997. First, a tree seed is planted on a comet, it grows using the light of stars for photosynthesis, and gradually creates an atmosphere on the comet. When a comet becomes habitable, people move on it. Everything is simple!
The viability of a planet is determined on the basis of various factors, the main ones being its mass, orbit and rotation, as well as its geochemical composition. Life-usable planets in this case are called terrestrial planets, which have a mass close to the earth, and are also composed originally of silicate rocks. In this regard, gas giants are completely unsuitable for the origin of life due to too much gravity and the absence of a solid surface (however, their satellites may well be viable).
So, it’s worth starting, perhaps, with the most important characteristic of the planet - with its mass. In this case, planets with a very small mass are the least suitable for life. First, on such planets, gravity is too low to hold an atmosphere. The absence of a dense atmosphere results in poor heat transfer, poor insulation, and almost no protection against solar radiation and meteorites (which is why many scientists deny the possibility of life on Mars with its thin atmosphere).
Secondly, planets with a small mass very quickly lose the energy accumulated due to the star, as a result of which volcanic and seismic activity ceases, which is necessary to maintain the temperature, to maintain the surface with the necessary materials, and also to form the magnetic field necessary for life.
Based on the foregoing, the Earth is the most favorable planet in terms of its oils, diameter and density for the origin and maintenance of life: Earth's gravity is enough to hold a sufficiently dense atmosphere, and its size is enough to keep the interior of the planet hot and mobile (for example, Mars in this relation is a geologically dead planet).
According to scientists, the minimum mass of a viable planet is 0.3 Earth. However, in some cases, the mass of a space object does not affect its volcanic activity, as, for example, in the case of Io (a satellite of Jupiter), which, with a very small mass, is characterized by high volcanic activity due to gravitational perturbations caused by Jupiter.
Thus, mass is not the only factor influencing the likelihood of life on the planet. An important role is also played by the stability of its orbital and rotational characteristics. For example, the greater the eccentricity (the difference between the points of the orbit farthest and closest to the star), the greater the temperature fluctuations will be (which, of course, is a significant obstacle to sustaining life on the planet). In addition, a habitable planet should be characterized by a fairly mild change in seasonal temperatures. For example, the absence of an inclination of the axis of rotation will also lead to the complete absence of the seasons, that is, the main stimulus for the development of the bissphere. However, if the slope is too strong, it will lead to a very sharp change in seasonal temperatures. In addition, it is very important that the rotation of the planet around its axis occurs quickly enough (for a quick change of day and night).
In terms of chemical composition, the most important elements for the origin and maintenance of life are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. In addition, sulfur and phosphorus play an important role in the formation of DNA and RNA. Many scientists believe that most of the water, as well as amino acids, appeared on the surface of the Earth due to its collisions with comets (that is, from the outer regions of the solar system). This gives experts a reason to assume that for the successful development of habitable planets, first of all, it is necessary to deliver the elements necessary for this to them.
Looking at the coming era of deep space expansion through the eyes of science fiction writers, we will see exciting pictures. Giant ships full of settlers eager to explore new, resource-rich worlds. The rapid development of colonies on the earth's model. Bloody conflicts between the newly minted states. Insidious pirates, noble blue-skinned aborigines and a threat from a non-humanoid enemy that rally humanity are added to taste.
But is it really possible to colonize planets outside the solar system? And will it happen the way science fiction writers imagine?
Who will need it
Unfortunately, the model described in the introduction cannot actually work. Fantasists simply project the experience of the colonization of America, Africa, and Oceania, already known to mankind, into the distant future. But the development of new planets will certainly go according to a different scenario. The first to set foot on uncharted land are not gold-hungry adventurers acting at their own peril and risk, but well-trained astronauts performing a government task, bound by laws and obligations.
Scientists will come next, and not at all settlers, who in the case of America were impoverished peasants, artisans and priests, fleeing from hunger and needing nothing but their own land. True, unlike the settlers, scientists will not stay forever - after completing their research, they will return to Earth.
The first colonists will not look like puritan pilgrims, but like the heroes of Interstellar
Objectively speaking, there will be no one to populate the colony. In the high-tech world of the future, there are hardly any “starving” people who are ready to seek their fortune in the wild jungle and who have the physical and financial capabilities to do so. And if those who wish will appear, then no one will allow them to endanger their lives before all the possible consequences of a long stay of the human body in alien conditions are thoroughly studied.
Migration, which has an economic background, has long been directed from the less developed regions of the planet to the more developed ones - and by no means vice versa. If things on Earth go so badly that crowds of desperate people want to flee to other worlds, then civilization will not be able to finance space expeditions at all. Only a prosperous planet will be able to find funds for expansion, from which you absolutely do not want to leave.
Maybe people will be drawn to the "Outland" later, when the infrastructure is created in the colonies - roads, cities, factories. Living on planets that do not suffer from overpopulation and pollution has its advantages. But how much time will pass before the founded settlement equals the metropolis in terms of education and health care and is able to provide no worse conditions for the development of the individual is unknown.
To conquer the ultra-distant worlds, very, very large ships are needed. Like "Covenant" from the movie "Alien: Covenant"
It is also unclear why earthlings would finance construction in deep space. Enterprises will be able to supply the colonists, but from the point of view of those who stay at home, the colossal investment will not pay off. The feasibility of interstellar transportation of raw materials is extremely doubtful. The production of high-tech goods requires not cheap resources, but qualified personnel and sophisticated equipment. It is more convenient to do this on Earth. The American model of colonization is not economically viable.
The “Soviet” version, described by the Strugatsky brothers in the “World of Half a Day” cycle, looks much more plausible: the earthlings have mastered the vast Periphery, but the Communards in space do nothing but search for elusive “wanderers”, sport hunting for takhorgs and growing delicacies on a few alien farms . Because there is nothing else to do there.
How will the colony earn?
With a high degree of probability, we will have to explore a planet with an atmosphere that is not suitable for us. Then the base of earthlings will look something like this
It can be assumed that the extraterrestrial settlement will have three sources of funding: the export of luxury goods, tourism and science. It is unprofitable to carry ore from the Moon, but even a simple stone delivered from there costs a lot of money. And shoes made from vegan lizard skin can sell for even more. At first, the trade in souvenirs will be profitable, but soon the fashion for the alien will pass.
Tourism is a more reliable business and will undoubtedly play a huge role in the economy. Judge for yourself: so far, all attempts to deploy in orbit the production of chemical compounds, the synthesis of which is possible only in weightlessness, have failed, but space tourism is gaining momentum, and demand is a thousand times greater than supply. There will always be those who want to shoot takhorgs or shell-spiders or simply admire the beauties of other worlds.
In addition to "planetary" space tourism, "spatial" tourism is also possible - to places that offer stunning views of nebulae and unusual star systems (frame from the movie "Passengers")
But the first time the driving force of colonization will be science. If a race is already building interstellar ships, it means that large funds are allocated for research. The "residential" planet will attract tens of thousands of scientists - biologists, paleontologists, geologists, meteorologists. And this is actually an insignificant number: the thinning mysteries of the earth's biosphere are unraveled by a much larger number of people.
Finally, don't discount politics. If, having discovered a planet suitable for colonization, the government does nothing, ordinary people will not understand this. It will be necessary to create ministries and departments responsible for the development of the Periphery, develop programs, organize public supervision, and allocate funds. And then publish reports, create a commission to investigate the mysterious disappearance of allocated funds, criticize the colonization program and reform the administrative apparatus.
A colony on another planet will provide permanent, well-paid and interesting work for millions of people ... on Earth. But employees of managing institutions will have to visit the management object at least occasionally. Especially if intelligent interstellar radio communication is not invented, instructions will have to be sent by courier ships, and control over their execution will be difficult. Even if there are no settlers, scientists, farms and hotels in the colony, administrative complexes will have to be built.
The atmosphere of the planet will most likely have to be brought into line with the requirements of the human body. In the Alien universe, there are atmospheric processors for this (frame from the movie Aliens)
At first, the colony on the planet will develop dynamically. The population will quickly reach the level of 100-200 thousand people (scientists, tourists, administration plus service personnel). Supplying an entire city from the Earth, if realistic, is impractical, so the production of food and building materials will immediately arise on the spot. A little later, compact automatic factories will be deployed, manufacturing consumer goods from available local raw materials using an extremely simplified technology.
Even the assembly of "improved" ersatz machines is not ruled out - provided that the most complex components and assemblies are delivered from Earth. Look: for the manufacture of a modern car, several grades of steel, non-ferrous metals, plastics, devices and components are needed, delivered from dozens of different enterprises. It is not advisable to deploy hundreds of factories in the colony, to surround it with mines for the extraction of the entire periodic table, if only because the demand for products is limited and the costs (including the delivery of equipment) will never pay off. Only the most necessary materials will be produced locally.
mining
It cannot be ruled out that on distant planets there will be substances that are not yet known to science, such as "spice" from Arrakis (frame from the film "Dune"). But at the same time, you should be prepared for the presence of worms.
Of course, nothing definite can be said about the cost of interplanetary transportation today. But, even if the delivery of goods from the other side of the Galaxy in the distant future becomes as affordable as shipping is now, this will not make mining in other star systems profitable. Regardless of the level of technology, transporting goods over long distances will be more expensive than short distances. In the vicinity of the Earth, the reserves of resources are practically unlimited. The metals contained in the asteroid belt could cover our planet with a layer 50 kilometers thick. And the mass of frozen methane on a large comet exceeds the proven reserves of natural gas on Earth.
Of course, not all resources are abundant in the solar system. It is assumed that the crust of some deep space bodies may consist entirely of carbon in the form of diamond. Near young stars, uranium is much richer in the 235th isotope. But… do you need so many diamonds? And will the demand for uranium continue after the advent of thermonuclear energy?
In addition, mineral deposits of unusual composition or richness can only form under unusual conditions. This means that the planet that interested the miners will most likely be uninhabitable. It will have to be "colonized" by super-protected robots.
If on Earth the increase in pressure and temperature limits the depth of the mines, then even the largest asteroids can be drilled through: their bowels are hard and cold
The population of a colony created to extract resources on an oxygen-free planet will not be numerous. Fantasists often forget how successfully robots replace people in our time. The main work will be carried out by nuclear combines, biting into the rock and separating the desired metal from the ore. Repair machines will repair the harvesters, completely replacing faulty blocks and sections. To inhabit the central station (quite likely, located not on the surface of the planet, but in orbit) will be engineers, geologists, administrators and those who will serve them: a cook, a hairdresser, a dentist and a team of psychoanalysts, who take turns treating each other for depression. Hardly more than a hundred people.
Production in such a settlement, except for the metal sent to Earth, will be reduced to crop production in a greenhouse that supplies the station with vitamins and oxygen, while the rest will be imported from the metropolis. If communication with Earth is interrupted, the colony will almost certainly perish. People will not be able to survive in alien conditions without technology renewable by earthlings, they will not be able to reproduce failing machines.
Second stage of colonization
Alien predators, accustomed to local food, are unlikely to show interest in people whose mere sight causes indigestion. Well, except that you can hunt for the sake of adrenaline (frame from the movie "Riddick")
The collapse of the "official" colony will be as swift as its flourishing. One day the funding will stop. An economic crisis will break out, or the fight against the budget deficit will intensify. Scientists will rush to even more distant, newly discovered worlds. The public interest will weaken. Souvenirs will stop selling. The flow of tourists will dry up.
The off-world settlement will turn into a ghost town. Huge, ugly, once hastily built without thinking about aesthetics, just to accommodate the masses of arriving researchers, the building of the Institute of Exoplanetology will look through the eye sockets of broken windows at the Palace of the Spacewalker - futuristic even by the standards of the distant future, it is not clear what the building was intended for. The streets will be empty, automatic factories will stop, machines that will have no one and no reason to repair will turn into trash. Experimental plots cultivated to find out the fitness of crops for the conditions of the planet will be overgrown with a lush, bizarre mixture of native and terrestrial weeds.
And this will not be the end, but the beginning of a new world.
In the movie Alien 3, an abandoned penal colony became a haven for a religious sect.
When the temporary workers working on a “rotational basis” leave, those who decided to make it their home will remain on the planet, people who have nothing to lose on Earth. Those who do not like the established order in the metropolis. Even if society's tolerance for minorities knows no bounds, this does not guarantee that minorities themselves will tolerate society.
Renegades will rush to another planet, sectarians - religious, pseudo-religious, cultural, political and environmental, that is, those who could not go in the forefront for the reasons described above. The resettlement will provide them with an invaluable chance to create a new society based on any principles that seem just. If you find at least a few hundred ardent like-minded people and establish a settlement, these principles will work on its territory. You can not remake the old world, overcoming the inertia of the inhabitants, but build a better one from scratch.
Numerous settlements of colonists fleeing civilization, by hook or by crook seeping into the planet, will arise even in the midst of the "scientific-commercial" period of development. The administration of the colony will fight with the "savages", expelling them as they are caught, but in the end they will give up. Do not comb the alien forests!
independent worlds
In fiction, the human civilization of the galactic period is usually depicted as a community of planet-states, sometimes distinguished by unique customs (borrowed from the history of the Middle Ages), sometimes similar in everything to Earth. But almost always one culture corresponds to one world. It is hard to believe in this: on each open planet, rather, there will be many small colony-states, because each of the dissenters does not agree in his own way.
On one continent - but far from each other, there is enough space - some "Brothers in Christ", heretics separated from the "Brothers", "True Brothers", self-styled Cossacks who separated from the heretics, who decided that the spirit of the stanitsa can be save from the rink of globalization only thirty parsecs from the banks of the Don, a phratry of Tyrolean shooters with an incomprehensible program, ufologists who are sure that they have returned to the ancestral home of mankind, purebred Aryans who have finally found a place where there is not a single Jew, as well as anarchists, communists and four more warring factions of the "greens", differing in the degree of radicalism of their views on ecology. Each of the groups will be wary of both neighbors and "earthlings" - scientists and tourists who still appear on the planet.
In the world of the War Tomorrow trilogy, for example, the empire of Concordia was created by fanatical Zoroastrians
The Earth will generously sow the environs within reach of spaceships with the seeds of its ancient culture. Mainly - in the form of frank tares. But sprouts, left to themselves, will have time for independent development, introspection and improvement.
For the colonists to be isolated, it would not take a supernova explosion that destroys hyperspace tunnels: in fact, the settlers would not have left the Earth if they did not want to fence themselves off from it. They themselves will seek to reduce contacts with the mother country to a minimum.
The use of machines will actually have to be abandoned. The tiny colony will not be able to buy industrial goods delivered from Earth, nor to produce them. But the loss of technology, the “return to the stone age” will not happen: going into voluntary exile, the fugitives will take with them carriers with the information that they consider useful. Knowledge, on the other hand, makes it possible to achieve a lot with a minimum of tools: for example, in Jules Verne's novel The Mysterious Island, engineer Smith even obtains nitroglycerin thanks to improvised means. From the production of pyroxylin, the heroes of the novel are kept only by the fact that in their time, smokeless gunpowder had not yet been invented.
Colonists are unlikely to use laser rifles, beamers and blasters. Most likely, people will return to conventional firearms, combining simplicity and effectiveness (frame from the TV series "Firefly")
A decrease in the level of production will not cause social regression. For example, the usual restoration of feudalism in fantastic "lost colonies" will not happen. Firstly, the very idea of class division will be alien to the colonists. Secondly, the first settlers on an empty planet do not need a professional military - there is no one to fight with yet (unless they need a voluntary militia to fight the local wildlife). Thirdly, the power of the lord is based primarily on land ownership - and for the first 100-200 years of colonization, free land will be in abundance, and ownership of it will mean practically nothing.
Physics and chemistry will lose their former significance for an indefinite time, and the conditions for the development of crafts will not soon develop. Modern people who have retrained as blacksmiths will be haunted by the feeling that instead of work they are engaged in historical reconstruction. In addition, despite the voluntary isolation, it will be difficult for local craftsmen to compete with the atomic metallurgical module (we will assume that the earthlings will provide the colonists with such a machine), which valiantly processes swamp slurry and sand into knives, axes and pans. Of course, the robot produces products only of a standard form and of disgusting quality (especially if it has nowhere to get manganese for alloying), but a person cannot compete with it.
Societies that decide to settle in the "Outland" will inevitably be subjected to natural selection. Not enough “principled” groups will cease to exist, because it is precisely the intransigence to the “earthly” way of life that will force the settlers to put up with the inconveniences of primeval nature. A great advantage in the development and settlement of the planet will be "environmentally oriented" factions, who prefer to conduct a subsistence economy and are disgusted by a dirty and soulless machine civilization. It will be easier for their representatives to adapt to new conditions. The settlers, who certainly want to develop the industry, seeing in this, if not a goal, then at least a means, will eventually return to Earth. After all, what they are striving for has already existed there for a long time.
The inhabitants of Ba'ku in Star Trek: Uprising reject high technology and rely on nature
According to the generally accepted canon, young colonies should strive for independence, while the Empire should harshly suppress separatist encroachments. But such conflicts can arise only if the mother country is interested in the colonies as sources of raw materials and springboards for military bases. Most likely, the Periphery will be of only aesthetic value for the Earth. The fugitive settlement will receive full self-government from the first day of its existence. The administration of the planet will not be able and will not want to interfere in the affairs of the "free settlers".
But conflicts are inevitable, since the colonists are initially hostile towards the Earth. After 100-200 years, the "newcomers" will have to take into account the mood of the multiplied "indigenous population" when compiling the routes of scientific and tourist expeditions. Negotiating will require that the governments of the individual communities be formally recognized. The exchange of embassies between them and the Earth is quite possible already at this stage. However, the colonists are unlikely to seek diplomatic recognition, meaning a return to the bosom of earthly civilization.
"Terrans" in StarCraft have long been independent of Earth
Someday, the connection between the colonized planet and the Earth will be interrupted completely, and the new branch of humanity will have to solve its problems on its own. It is likely that by way of an industrial revolution, the benefit of inventing something is not required for this - all solutions have already been found and tested on Earth. But it may happen that the colonists will find their own ways.
Earthly civilization is unlikely to leave the "cradle" completely, since culture is tied to a way of life, and that - to the economy. But humanity may well settle in other worlds, creating new civilizational models. And who knows if this process will not reveal a better option for the development of our species than the one that exists here and now.
The population of the Earth is constantly increasing: according to various forecasts, by 2050 it could be from 8 to 13 billion people. It is not known how long our planet will be able to support such a horde. For a very long time, almost since the beginning of the 20th century, science fiction writers saw the colonization of other planets in the solar system as a solution to the problem. Let's try to figure out how realistic this prospect is.
The population of the Earth is constantly increasing: according to various forecasts, by 2050 it could be from 8 to 13 billion people. It is not known how long our planet will be able to support such a horde. For a very long time, almost since the beginning of the 20th century, science fiction writers saw the colonization of other planets in the solar system as a solution to the problem. Let's try to figure out how realistic this prospect is.
Native land - forever beloved, where can you find another like this?
Before talking about the prospects for the development of other worlds, it is worth understanding what made possible the emergence of life on Earth.
First, the Earth (which is natural) is a terrestrial planet - that is, a rocky celestial body, consisting mainly of metals and silicon.
Secondly, the Earth is located in the so-called "habitable zone" - in other words, it is not too close to the Sun and not too far from it. Due to this, the Sun has the ability to warm up our planet, but not to a crisp.
Thirdly, the Earth is a geologically active world. This is important for several reasons. The presence of a liquid outer core, consisting of molten metals, provides the Earth with a magnetic field, which, in turn, protects the planet's surface from harmful solar radiation and from atmospheric erosion by the so-called solar wind (that is, a stream of ionized particles emitted by the Sun). The geological activity of the earth's crust also made it possible to block a large part of the carbon in the rocks and thereby avoid too strong a greenhouse effect.
Fourth (and this partly follows from "third"), the Earth has a breathable atmosphere and a large amount of water, the presence of which is a necessary condition for the maintenance of protein life.
alien worlds
Now let's look at other planets in the solar system and compare them with the Earth.
From the point of view of habitability, one can immediately discard the so-called outer planets - that is, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They are too far from the Sun, mostly composed of gas (which is why they are called "gas giants") and too massive. The satellites of the giant planets are also not suitable for life, although some of them (for example, on Enceladus) even have water in the form of a liquid.
With the inner planets (except the Earth), everything is also complicated. Mercury is definitely not suitable for life. It is too close to the Sun, its small mass did not allow it to hold an atmosphere, and all geological activity has long ceased as a result of cooling. In other words, Mercury is a dead piece of rock with no prospects. The same can be said about the Moon. But on Mars and Venus it is worth dwelling in more detail.
Red Planet
In many science fiction novels, Mars has been featured either as an object of colonization or as a source of trouble in the form of aggressive aliens. The red planet is indeed similar to the Earth in many ways, and about 3 billion years ago this similarity was even more striking: the planet had a dense atmosphere and a large amount of liquid water, rivers flowed across the continents, and the depressions were seas. What has happened since then?
First, due to its small size and mass (about 11% of the mass of the Earth), Mars completely cooled down, which led to the cessation of geological activity and the loss of the magnetosphere. Due to the lack of geological activity, the planet's atmosphere has ceased to be replenished; due to the small planetary mass and the influence of the solar wind, the existing atmosphere gradually evaporated. This led to the fact that the water on the planet was partially sublimated into a gaseous form, and partially frozen due to the cooling accompanying the rarefaction of the atmosphere. The water molecules that fell into the atmosphere of Mars, in turn, were destroyed by ionized particles, which led to the loss of a large part of the hydrogen reserves that existed on the planet.
Thus, terraforming Mars seems to be a very time-consuming, one might even say - almost impossible task, since this will have to recreate the planet's atmosphere and either protect it from erosion by the solar wind, or ensure its continuous replenishment. The absence of a magnetosphere would also cause the surface of Mars to be bombarded with deadly solar radiation. In addition, Mars is far enough from the Sun that even with a dense atmosphere and the accompanying greenhouse effect, the temperature on the planet’s surface may not be warm enough for comfortable life. On the other hand, a large part of these problems can be solved by placing huge mirrors at the Lagrange points around the planet - they can protect Mars from the solar wind, and besides, they can be used to organize "external heating" of the surface.
In favor of Mars as the future abode of mankind, the fact that the length of the day on the red planet practically coincides with the earth's, in addition, there is an alternation of seasons, since the angle of inclination of the planet's axis is close to the Earth. In general, life on Mars is quite possible - but only under sealed domes. By the way, NASA is already going to set up such an experiment and grow a plant on Mars in a miniature greenhouse.
morning Star
Another promising planet is Venus, which is often called the "double of the Earth." Like the Earth, Venus is located in the habitable zone, in addition, it is almost identical to our planet in size and mass.
Unlike Mars, Venus has an utterly luxurious vibe. Unfortunately, this atmosphere makes the planet even less hospitable than its absence. It consists mainly of carbon dioxide. As a result, due to the greenhouse effect, the temperature on the surface of Venus is 467 degrees Celsius, and the pressure - due to the high density of the atmosphere - is about 93 bar (that is, 93 times more than atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level). Dense clouds of sulfuric acid gas are constantly present in the atmosphere. Since Venus, like Mars, does not have a magnetosphere, light gases, including water vapor, are constantly blown out by the solar wind. Finally, the duration of the Venusian day is 116 days 18 hours. All in all, an inhospitable place.
Terraforming Venus also looks like a laborious task - even more laborious than terraforming Mars. Unlike Mars, Venus does not need to be heated, but cooled - and this is always an energetically more costly process. For the most part, we will have to get rid of the current atmosphere, which means that a monstrous amount of carbon dioxide will have to be put somewhere. Again, we will have to somehow solve the problem of protection from the solar wind. Finally, Venus will have to be spun up to bring the length of the Venusian day to some reasonable value. As a result, the energy budget of this event will inflate to absolutely unimaginable proportions. According to various estimates, the complete terraforming of Venus may require up to 10 40 J, which is six orders of magnitude higher than the annual amount of energy produced by the Sun.
However, there is also good news. It is quite possible to build "flying cities" on Venus: a hermetic bubble filled with earth's air will naturally float at an altitude of 55-65 km above the planet's surface under Venusian conditions. And since our city still flies, it is quite possible to make it fly around the planet with a frequency corresponding to the Earth's day.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the solar system - with the exception of the Earth - is a very inhospitable place, so that a person can live on Mars and Venus only in closed colonies, which clearly cannot become a good home for millions (or even billions) of Homo sapiens. In this regard, humanity's only hope for full-fledged space colonization is terrestrial exoplanets - like the recently discovered Kepler-186f - in combination with the development of interstellar travel technologies. At least today it looks more realistic.
