This project was submitted to the NSS Space Settlement Contest.
SAPIENTIA: A Home Away From Home
SAPIENTIA is a spiral-shaped space settlement located at LEO (Low-Earth Orbit). SAPIENTIA is designed to become a hub for all space expeditions by removing space debris that interferes with space activities and providing unlimited resources obtained from asteroids. While fulfilling the role as the center of space, SAPIENTIA will also provide its residents with a healthy and convenient life. The project SAPIENTIA is presented in seven chapters that explain three main parts: space expedition, structural overview, and residential life.
Space expedition contains two main parts: removal of space debris and
asteroid mining. Removal of space debris will not only provide a better environment for future space ventures but also support the construction of SAPIENTIA by recycling the debris into useful materials. Asteroid mining will be the main means of obtaining resources for residential life. Asteroid mining will obtain soil, water, and other diverse elements and minerals that are crucial for construction since it is almost impossible to bring every resource from Earth. The asteroids and space debris are collected by high-developed technology using newly designed robots and algorithms. Then, the collected materials undergo a complicated manufacturing process to extract the necessary substances.
The structural overview contains the external and internal structure of the
settlement. The shape of the structure is precisely calculated to create artificial gravity and provide the residents with a convenient life. Especially, the structure is prefabricated for efficient construction and easy additions of the unit. Units are the fabric of our settlement. Each unit functions differently and thus has a completely different inner design. The construction sequence is also planned in order to make the construction process fluent.
The residential life is explained from a diverse perspective. Every factor that can influence human life such as water, waste, atmosphere, temperature, and humidity is planned to be compatible with the circadian rhythm. As our concept of the city is a smart and ecological city, we use diverse organisms and technology to help the residents adapt much better to society. The economy and the government are also designed in order to fit the social structure of SAPIENTIA. Tourism is also incorporated into the financial game and the higher life quality of the residents.
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