We discussed living in the vacuum of space, but what about on the moon or even Mars. Much of the technology will cross over to building homes on the surfaces of other planets and moons like radiation shielding, sanitation and the like. But the environments will require unique requirements to maintain human life.
Moon: On the moon, there is a desperate need for a water supply. If you have no water, then human life cannot be maintained on its surface (obvious right). So apart from shipping water from Earth to the moon or even Mars for that matter, we as humans would need to find some form of water source. Thankfully there is a source of water on the moon and Mars, though getting it may pose a problem. In respect to the moon, asteroids/meteorites have hit its surface on a number of occasions. Beneficially for us, some of those meteorites were made of ice and have settled at the bottom of some of the craters (albeit the water is frozen at 400 degrees below Celsius). The first lunar colonies will have to be made inside the craters with this frozen ice. A way to melt the ice, and possibly purify it will be needed, and a system of agriculture developed to maintain food supply without taking up all the water. In other words allot of work to create a self sustaining colony once established. Thankfully, the Green Movement has provided much of the impetus for cleaner, more efficient technology. Their push for lights that use little to no electricity, carbon capture technology and more ensures that the energy needed to produce and maintain a lunar colony (even a Mars Colony)is minimal and not a large drain on resources. Spin off technology from the military like micro smart grids and water recycling technology will be essential. It really comes down to bringing all this technology together in a compact form so it can be transported on the cheap (yea it's all about cost too).
Mars: Mars to has water, but like its Lunar counterpart, it is frozen. On Mars there is dry ice. Frozen water and CO2 that if melted can aid in heating up Mars enough to maintain plant life. But we have to melt it first. Ideas from nuclear bombs to dropping heaters from space have all been put on the table. However, those take time, and people want the abundance of natural resources Mars has to offer. In other words, why strip mine Earth where there is a natural environment with plant life when you can get those resources from Mars. Basically, outside of space tourism, mining for natural resources will be the key to tempting man kind into space and further spreading us out into the universe. Though, we will still need water to survive. So my guess is that at some point, we will be able to produce water by combining oxygen and hydrogen ourselves in a machine in the same way we do diamonds. Basically, get an initial sample in the machine H2O, and place it under the right conditions while injecting more oxygen and hydrogen and watch the water flow out. And who is to say we as humans will not raid nearby Moons orbiting Mars and Mars' polar ice caps. Why go through the cost to terraform a planet when it can be done piecemeal.
The Issues: There will be some issues, like with living in space, when it comes to living on these low gravity worlds. For one, just like space, the muscles and bones will become weaker as there is less strain on the human body. But, we may grow taller as that same gravity inhibits how tall we become. The biggest mountain in our solar system ever recorded is on Mars, and that is only the case of the lower amount of gravity. Basically, the higher the gravity, the more strain on an object which leads to that objects size being limited. So on Mars and the moon, we can build 4 mile high skyscrapers without fear. People with dwarfism may be able to grow taller due to less gravity; high people with gigantism may not suffer from bones that are too heavy for their bodies to support (though this is just theory). Likewise people may be able to live longer due to less stress on the human body. The cost though, is that people born on Mars or the moon after continuous generations probably may not be able to set foot on Earth. They would literally collapse from the higher gravity. We would have a new class of human, a space human, a lunar human, and a Martian human. Each different on the inside, and maybe even the outside due to their bodies adapting to the living conditions of the planet they are living on, but will at no time be any less human.
All, in all, to live in the stars, sacrifices will be made. Those sacrifices being, money, resources, and maybe even never having your grandchildren see Earth in person. However, the rewards are many; a civilization on another planet, natural resources to profit from, and other money making opportunities ripe for the picking. It is a choice, a choice that we as a people must make.
Tomorrow, I discuss NASA's new role in space exploration (my opinion on what it will evolve into).
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