10 Crazy Ideas for Colonizing Outer Space

Are we humans destined for outer space? It would seem so. Because eventually, what’s a civilization to do other than expand to other worlds beyond its own comfortable cosmic nursery? Whether based on science fiction or science-science, as civilization advances, it seems that the natural inkling is to explore and expand, to settle its solar system and then perhaps the stars if that could ever be possible.

But all these dreams need a foundation and some crazy innovations to get the ball rolling. The following are some of the craziest but scientifically sound ideas detailing how we’ll eat, where we may live, and how we’ll pick ourselves up off the ground—figuratively and literally. If nothing else, these ideas (which vary in wildness) outline a blueprint for us to begin settling the spaces and surfaces beyond our beautiful blue-green orb.

Related: 10 Enduring Space Mysteries That Spilled Their Secrets

10 Astronauts Could Live in Cosmic Bounce-Houses

Astronauts need habitation, but building things like the ISS is a tricky business with multiple challenges. First, the actual building. The second problem is getting the habitat into space, which must be carried by a launch vehicle.

To save effort and money, why not design inflatable habitats? Multiple space-minded outfits, including Lockheed Martin, are exploring habitats that can be blown up. Blown up in a good way, that is.

These pressurized cosmic abodes would be made of incredibly strong yet flexible materials, sewn together, and expanded into larger structures. Such inflatable technologies have been tested on the ISS. They are built from the highly resistant “Vectran” material, five times stronger than steel. So it’s quite possible that future astronauts on Mars, the Moon, or out in space may live in the equivalent of a technologically advanced bounce house.^[1]

9 Turning Astronaut Breath into Pasta and Tortillas

Astronauts have to eat, right? Thanks to some wacky but legit culinary space science, you only need a few ingredients to make a new type of food for spacefarers. Those ingredients are water, yeast starter, electricity, a rolling pin, and… astronaut breath.

Yes, astronaut exhalation. The ultimate goal is to make yeast—and a whole lot of it—because it’s nutritious, and you can use the rolling pin to squash it into pasta or flatbread. The process, developed by Air Company, does what plants do, but more effectively. Basically, they make food out of air.

The recipe involves taking carbon dioxide (astronaut breath) and combining it with water and electricity. This makes alcohol (like how plants make sugar), which is fed to a yeast starter, creating more yeast. The fermenting mix is tasty and full of protein. It can be turned into various foodstuffs on the cheap, preserving precious resources.^[2]

8 We’ll Be Vacationing in Luxury Space Balloons

Before we live in space, we’ll use it as a vacation spot. For the past decade or so, the concepts for space “resorts” or commercial excursions looked less than luxurious.

Visitors to the Great Dark Beyond would be limited to a tiny room with a porthole, like full-circling back to the Age of Sail. In their cramped quarters, rich tourists would gaze upon the Earth for 10 seconds, then spend the rest of the time browsing memes or reading; there probably wouldn’t be much else to do.

But things may be changing. One potential, much cooler outer environment could be the space balloon. Such as one being developed by the company Space Perspective, which has offered a preview of the Spaceship Neptune that may one day take passengers up to the stratosphere.

It’s not exactly space or a hotel, but more of a 2,000-square-foot sky-high lounge rather than a tiny capsule or what have you. In fact, it’s designed to house eight travelers and a captain. It would be lifted gently above Earth using renewable hydrogen, rising gradually at around 12 miles per hour (19.3 km/h).

Similar balloons have been thoroughly used by NASA. If this concept comes to fruition, it could provide a stepping stone to other space-habitation projects. However, whether we’ll ever truly live in space is still up in the air, pun intended.^[3]

7 Japan’s Crazy Concept for a Giant Moon-Funnel City

One popular, ubiquitous concept for inhabiting outer space is to create structures that rotate. The centripetal force of a spinning habitat negates one of space’s most annoying problems, the microgravity that slowly saps the vigor and strength of astronauts’ bodies.

The shape of a spinning habitat is less agreed upon, so Kyoto University and the not-at-all-ominous-sounding Kajima Corporation have released their designs for a funnel-shaped space structure that may one day house future space settlers and entire outer space civilizations. At least, that’s the dream.

Called “Lunagrass,” this concept is a big standing funnel that would include all the hallmarks of an honest-to-goodness terrestrial city, such as trees, bodies of water, and public transportation networks. In addition to sparing spacefarers’ bodies from the gradual ravages of microgravity, such a concept would allow childbirth under more Earth-like gravitational conditions, setting the stage for theoretical future space sex.^[4]

6 The Dream Chaser Spaceplane Will Resupply Space Stations

Cosmic habitats require supply chains. Accordingly, space-delivery platforms are being developed at an unprecedented rate, with our uncertain space future looming large. One certainty is that we’ll have some kind of International Space Station, which will have to be occasionally restocked. To do that, commercial company Sierra Space has just positively tested its Dream Chaser spaceplane.

The Dream Chaser craft will conduct ISS resupply missions, delivering special payloads and essential scientific research. Recently, the Dream Chaser proved the viability of three major features. First, a cryogenic unit named Polar maintains a temperature range from -140 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (-95.5° to 10°C).

Second, the Powered Ascent Utility Locker (PAUL) must be powered to preserve cells and tissues for biological experiments. Finally, NASA’s stowage locker is a simpler compartment for carrying diverse experiments.^[5]

5 Jumping Mice Offer Health Hope for Astronauts

You read that right, jumping mice! For a perspective, microgravity is like an invisible disease that eats astronauts’ bones and muscles. The human body evolved under gravity, and it quickly deteriorates in space. Cartilage quality, bone strength, and joint stability are among the biggest detriments, weakening the future spacefarers who must perform demanding tasks as they explore and eventually populate the solar system.

One way to preserve astronauts’ joint health is inspired by jumping mice. Jumping exercises could keep cartilage strong and healthy on extended space voyages, such as Mars, to prevent the deterioration of the knee joint. Which is good because cartilage is essential but slow to heal.

When scientists tested mice, they found that jumping exercises improved cartilage integrity, making it more than twice as strong in the mice that jumped. Therefore, future astronauts could be put through a jumping regimen before embarking on their cosmic sojourn.^[6]

4 Spacefarers May Fall a Lot, “SuperLimbs” Can Help

Exoskeletons are increasingly used in manufacturing and for physical therapy. They’re not the mini-mech-suits of pop culture yet, but they’ve proven useful in preserving human health in multiple industries.

Exoskeletons also promise many aerospace-based applications, courtesy of an MIT-developed robotic “SuperLimbs.” For example, the lunar environment has just one-sixth of Earth’s gravity. Yet inertia is the same everywhere—when you’re falling, you’re falling!

Therefore, MIT’s innovation can help astronauts conserve energy and get back on their feet in case of inevitable tumbles. Such a system, which analyzes astronaut feedback, may also be useful for the more labor-intensive tasks (like building things) to be performed by spacefarers during the upcoming Artemis missions and, eventually, on other solar system surfaces.^[7]

3 Using Worms and Fungi to Grow Chickpeas in Moon Dust

“Moon-farming” conjures images of fancy hydroponic installations growing huge heads of lettuce and shiny red tomatoes. But future space food may be grown in soil… Moon soil! It may also be more bean-like (technically legumes) because scientists from Texas A&M have recently achieved a breakthrough by growing food in Moon dust.

Researchers used simulated Moon dust (there isn’t enough of the real stuff) to grow chickpeas to seed in a proof-of-concept experiment that could yield tasty dividends for future lunar farmers. Obviously, Earth’s soil is much more nutritious because it’s made by life and packed with living things like fungi.

Researchers added a special mix of beneficial fungi and worm manure to enrich the Moon dust. The worms can be taken to space to decompose space waste (clothing, food scraps) into compost. Why chickpeas? They require less water and nitrogen than other crops. They’re also tasty and pack a decent protein punch.^[8]

2 Astronauts Could Run on Walls to Keep Fit

The dearth of gravity quickly destroys the human body in various ways. For example, just half a year spent in space can deteriorate an astronaut’s bones as much as a decade of aging. That’s bad. So exercise is essential, and finding the most efficient exercises can be a game-changer for keeping spacefarers fit on long missions.

How about some wall-running? To test the idea, bungee-corded scientists ran along the sinister-sounding “Wall of Death,” also known as a large cylinder. Accordingly, running horizontally along the wall was shown to generate a “uniform circular motion” to mimic gravity.

Astronauts would need to run about nine laps in such a setup to avoid bone loss, which sounds pretty doable. Although they would need to haul themselves at a rapid clip, equivalent to a 5-minute mile.^[9]

1 Taking the First Steps Toward Interstellar Travel

Caltech scientists have just taken the first practical steps toward reaching an alien star system, Alpha Centauri. We’ve previously covered the concept behind the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative: using laser-propelled “lightsails” to boost tiny probes to our neighboring star.

Now, researchers used electron beam lithography (etching something with a beam of literal electrons) to create a miniature lightsail. And they’re not kidding with “miniature” because the resultant “microscopic trampoline” is a square only “40 microns wide and 40 microns long.” For comparison, 40 microns is about a bit bigger than the size of a blood cell.

But getting the laser to hit the sail at an optimal angle, especially when it’s in space and when the sail is tethered to a craft, remains a challenge. Still, this may be one of the relatively simplest ways to create a quick (again, relatively) method for interstellar travel for an unmanned craft.

Eventually, using such technology to attempt an interstellar colonization effort would be highly ambitious, to say the least. But then again, ambition is one of our greatest talents.^[10]