I've always suspected that there will be two common types of extra-terestrial colony layouts:
For planets with a substantial atmosphere (mars), they would be made of rather lightweight, connected modules. Sort of like the ISS, but horizontal. Domed cities seem impractical, because they would require so much more atmosphere. Very inefficient. The most spacious places in a Mars colony would be hydroponics and factory facilities. Habitation areas would probably feel more like a submarine interior in both space and setup.
For planets without significant atmosphere (moon), I'd think that long term facilities would need to be subterranean. If only for safety's sake. Without an air buffer of some sort, every pea sized rock that happens to wiz by would be a real threat. Surface shelters capable of resisting moderate or severe meteorite impacts would be very costly, and expensive to ship. Digging tools would be much cheaper, though teams would obviously need to live on the surface initially.
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Inflatable Houses
Date: 2010-08-21 06:38 pm (UTC)For planets with a substantial atmosphere (mars), they would be made of rather lightweight, connected modules. Sort of like the ISS, but horizontal. Domed cities seem impractical, because they would require so much more atmosphere. Very inefficient. The most spacious places in a Mars colony would be hydroponics and factory facilities. Habitation areas would probably feel more like a submarine interior in both space and setup.
For planets without significant atmosphere (moon), I'd think that long term facilities would need to be subterranean. If only for safety's sake. Without an air buffer of some sort, every pea sized rock that happens to wiz by would be a real threat. Surface shelters capable of resisting moderate or severe meteorite impacts would be very costly, and expensive to ship. Digging tools would be much cheaper, though teams would obviously need to live on the surface initially.