The Great Migration continues! The next stop: the Main Asteroid Belt! The idea that humans could someday settle among the many, many rocks and planetoids that sit between Mars and Jupiter has been explored extensively in science fiction and scientific literature. Beyond the larger bodies, Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, and Hygiea, pinwheel stations or cylinders could be established that could accommodate millions of people in environments that mimic Earth’s biospheres. There are also countless smaller rocks that could be hollowed out and spun up to simulate gravity.
The benefits of settling the Main Belt are also innumerable. Foremost among them, there’s the potential for becoming a post-scarcity species thanks to the incredible abundance of minerals, ores, precious metals, and rare Earth elements. There are also opportunities for scientific research since asteroids are essentially material left over from the formation of the Solar System. On top of that, there’s the opportunities for socio-political experiments. With so many habitats available, countless new cultures and societies could form.
Before long, a thriving economy and a new segment of humanity known as “Belters” could emerge. Check out the episode below:
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Stories by Williams 