Miller 1

Lily Miller

Miss Schutte

Composition and Rhetoric

17 December 2024

Living in Space

​ Imagine that the world is ending in one hundred years. Where will the next generations

live? They might look up at the night sky, glimpsing at all the stars, and hope there may be an

opportunity to live in space. Living in space might be unreasonable now, but what about those

who come after us? If Earth were to be destroyed, survival will become a real issue for them.

Living in space is just a dream now, but it's a dream that needs to be achieved. I believe that the

people of our future could live in space. Their society could live in space if they can find a stable

planet, satisfy their needs, and establish professions.

Future colonists must make or find a stable planet in order to survive long term in space.

My depiction of a stable planet is any planet’s natural environment, excluding living things, that

is not suddenly changing. Some of the more important things in a stable environment include

gravity, oxygen levels, climate, and atmosphere. It is unknown what the consequences of living

with little to no gravity for an extended period are on humans. However, we understand the

consequences of zero gravity for a shorter period of time (Johnson 3). One consequence of zero

gravity is the loss of calcium at roughly a rate of one to two percent monthly, which generates

lower bone density and mass (Johnson 3). Zero gravity can lead to a higher probability of

fractures, and living in zero gravity for years is not beneficial to the human body. Do other
 Miller 2

planets have the atmosphere and oxygen that they need to survive? Planet KOI 736.01 has an

atmosphere like Earth’s atmosphere. KOI 736.01 may even have oxygen, showing that different

planets could be habitable (Anvari 11). There are more planets than we know that could

maintain human life and demonstrate that they could be habitable. Titan and Mars are similar to

Earth, but planets like Gliese 581 g, Gliese 581 c, KOI 736.01, and Kepler-22b are virtually

identical (Anvarti 10).

Future colonists could survive on different planets. Could they create or discover their

physiological needs in space? Physiological needs are anything required to survive. The main

things that are needed are food, water, and shelter. They will need a ton of food in space, which

will need to look, taste, and smell good, or they will not eat food (Johnson 3). Three thousand

calories must be consumed daily in a diet acceptable for a heavy workload and to offset the

environmental anxiety of living on another planet (Johnson 3). The diet will have about seventy

ounces of water, about fifteen ounces of dehydrated food of different fats and carbs, about two

ounces of dehydrated proteins, and sufficient amounts of diverse vitamins and minerals (Johnson

3). It is essential to survival that they plan for these dietary needs so that they will stay nourished.

​ Space Settlements: A Design Study that shares what future colonists will want in space to

thrive. These future colonists will use our understanding of earth towns to build these colonies

(Johnson 3). With estimations of the magnitudes and dimensions needed, the necessities of a

colony of about ten thousand will need to be designed and produced by the people it is for

(Johnson 3). The significant places that we think should be on another planet are living spaces, a

retail industry, general and somewhat shared spaces, shared unrestricted locations, places for

small businesses and large companies, areas for automatic systems, a way of transport, and
 Miller 3

spaces for farming (Johnson 3). Living spaces are needed to allow people to feel at home. These

spaces would have all the room’s home areas to sleep and live in rooms to enter the home spaces

and secluded external spaces. Next, they will need a place for the retail industry, which includes

stores and headquarters (Johnson 3). General and somewhat shared spaces, like residential and

assembling multiplexes, churches, district hubs, churches, government posts, clinics, academies,

entertainment spots, and recreational areas. Shared unrestricted locations like gardens,

playgrounds, zoos, and outdoor entertainment like swimming and golfing (Johnson 3). Places

for small businesses that make private goods, furnishings, and handicraft items on a smaller

scale. Places for large companies to make, resell, and have warehouses exist to hold tons of

merchandise (Johnson 3). We will need areas for automatic systems that will circulate air,

electricity, and contact with other people or communities. We would also need places for water

restoration and sewage treatment. Finally, we would need spaces for farms, like growing plants

and producing animals. (Johnson 3)

​ We would also need to establish different professions in space. The definition of a

profession is any way to earn money or contribute to society. Contributing to society is essential

because it gives people a sense of purpose and a way to earn money. All people will need to have

different skills to survive in space. They must consider the plans of picking the right people for

the right job. Regardless, the quantity, looks, gender, and age dispersed, and effectiveness of the

colonists will be crucial in the success of their new life (Johnson 4). They must evaluate who will

be in the colonies, what mastery they will include, and how they will oversee and arrange

themselves (Johnson 4).

There are many professions we need for space, some of which are government officials,

scientists, farmers, spacecraft pilots, engineers, rover drivers, miners, mothers, teachers, doctors,

nurses, firefighters, police officers, electricians, plumbers, construction workers, communication

workers, operators, and others. One of the occupations they will need is people to transport

things, which requires individuals to understand how to operate them. The transport necessities

of the colonies are considerably more comprehensive than simply bringing material to the colony

(Johnson 4). They will have to have the ability to launch approximately one million tons of

material from Earth over roughly ten years (Johnson 4). They will also need to transport it to

where the colony will be because it will not be in the landing zone. That is just an accident

waiting to happen.

Space is a place of endless opportunity, but not for us anytime soon. Space will be a new

home for the people of the future. Their society can live in space if they can find a stable planet,

satisfy their needs, and have professions. If they discover the right place, they could live in

space. Louis Friedman, an astronautics engineer, once said, “Human exploration and

colonization of Mars will keep us busy for hundreds, even thousands, of years (Friedman).” This

quote says it will take a long time to get to Mars. But just like eating an elephant would take a

long time, it starts with just one bite. How do you live in space? One step at a time!
 Miller 5

Works Cited

Anvari, A. “Finding the safest planet for carbon structures in terms of thermal life.”

​ Journal of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Vol. 10, April 2019, pp. 10-16.

Accessed 16 November 2024.

Billings, Linda. “How shall we live in space? Culture, law and ethics in spacefaring society.”

Space Policy. Volume 22, Issue 4, Nov. 2006, pp. 249-255. Sciencedirect,

[Link] Accessed 28 October 2024.

Calhoun, John B. “Space and the Strategy of Life.” Behavior and Environment, 1971,

pp. 329–387, Springer Book Archive, [Link]

Accessed 28 October 2024.

Friedman, Louis. Interview with David Warmflash. “Beyond Mars: The Distant Future of Space

Exploration,” 2015, [Link]

the-distant-future-of-space-exploration. Accessed 4 December 2024.

Garcia, Mark A. “Top Five Technologies Needed for a Spacecraft to Survive Deep Space.”

[Link]

aft-to-survive-deep-space/. Accessed 7 November 2024.

Johnson, Richard D, and Charles Holbrow. “Space Settlements: A Design Study”

Space Settlement Homepage, Ames Research Center, 1 Jan. 1977,

[Link]

Accessed 9 November 2024.