The Human Habitation Project

[Vitul]

Hello,

 

I was just thinking and imagining what it would be like to live in an orbital settlement (note: this settlement is in orbit around a celestial object and not on a celestial object).

 

Here's how far I've gotten:

 

1. We pick the celestial object to be 19 Fortuna, an asteroid that is sufficiently small and very rich in organic compounds. It also has tholin (which can be used for construction).

 

2. The location of 19 Fortuna is right in the middle of Mars and the Asteroid Belt, which gives us sufficient access to minerals as well as support and trading with the Mars colonists (who we're assuming have been successful).

 

3. Our agriculture is on Fortuna but most of our habitation is in orbit around the asteroid.

 

I don't want to impose restrictions on you guys so that's all. We'll add points as we discuss this. 3, 2, 1....Let's begin!

[swansont]

What's the mass of 19 Fortuna, and what kind of orbit will you have?

[Vitul]

Well, the mass of 19 Fortuna is 5.41 x 10^-12 solar masses.^[1] I haven't figured out the orbital characteristics yet, what would you recommend?

 

 

 

 

[1] Baer, James, and Steven R. Chesley. "Astrometric Masses of 21 Asteroids, and an Integrated Asteroid Ephemeris." Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy Celestial Mech Dyn Astr 100.1 (2007): 27-42.