The concept of Turning an Asteroid into a rotating space Habitat has been around for some time, but it hasn’t received much attention due to the perception that the technology involved is still far off. However, David W. Jensen, a retired Technical Fellow at Rockwell Collins, recently released a 65-page paper outlining a detailed plan to turn an asteroid into a space habitat.

Dr. Jensen’s plan focuses on three main categories: asteroid selection, habitat style selection, and mission strategy. After a thorough selection process, he identified the asteroid Atira as a potential candidate due to its size, composition, proximity to Earth, and stable orbit.

In terms of habitat style, Dr. Jensen considered different options such as the “dumbbell”, sphere, cylinder, and torus. He ultimately settled on a torus design, which mimics the force of gravity through rotation. He also discussed various considerations, including structural materials, radiation protection, and living space.

To construct such a massive habitat, Dr. Jensen proposed using self-replicating spider robots and a base station that can replicate themselves using materials available on the asteroid. This approach would minimize the need for resources from Earth.

The estimated cost of the entire construction project is $4.1 billion, significantly less than NASA’s planned expenditure on the Apollo program. The timeline for completion is estimated to be around 12 years.

Given the relatively low cost and realistic timeline, Dr. Jensen’s plan is feasible, especially for billionaires interested in space exploration. With further technical development, it may even become a competition among billionaires to build the first artificial gravity space habitat.

Overall, turning an asteroid into a space habitat is no longer a far-fetched idea but a potentially practical and affordable option for future space exploration.

The post Turning an Asteroid into a Space Habitat: An Inexpensive and Feasible Plan appeared first on TS2 SPACE.