The challenges of space will lead to innovation

By: Scott Conover

Posted: 7/1/09

Innovation is often said to be a function of necessity. In war, in business competition and in exploration, innovation frequently emerges as a solution to a specific problem, and only later becomes known as a revolutionary change.
In the near future, the advent of space exploration will be likely lead to a similar situation, in which the rigors and rewards of space will lead to a peculiar set of environmental pressures. These pressures will lead the explorers, settlers and miners of space to innovate in order to survive and thrive in a hostile and dangerous environment.
Space is inherent with many dangers, which may act as pressures for innovation. There are numerous examples of these innovations. However, for explorers, settlers and miners to succeed in the environment of space, they will need to address many concerns. Of primary importance are those concerns related to survival: radiation, air, water, food and civilization.
First, there is the solar wind, a constant stream of charged particles coming from the sun. These particles, in the form of plasma, constantly bombard everything in the solar system. This plasma can lead to serious bodily damage as one moves away from the Earth's protective magnetic field. Even astronauts can face deadly dangers from this radiation.
The level of radiation emitted by the sun is largely regulated by its internal activity, which is often measured by sunspot activity. As this activity increases during the 11-year sunspot cycle, the danger to astronauts and would-be explorers and settlers also increases substantially. Coping for these eventualities would require clever innovation.
Second, there is the concern regarding air. In space, air must be recycled and reused, often through purification and reprocessing. Without some way to purify existing breathable air, and possibly generate new sources of air, any exploration is doomed to fail. An example of purifying air in an unusual way would be to bombard it with electrons.
One suggested solution at NASA for air generation is a simple one - plant life.
In addition, air will likely need to be transported up into space in order to ensure a supply is available in case of purification failure, or for use as a general supply.
Third, water is essential for life, and in space, there are no ready sources of safe, consumable water. A long-term solution is to acquire ice from comets and asteroids and process them for water contents. In addition, an effective recycling system would allow astronauts to continuously use any acquired water sources for long periods of time, as they may be able to recycle the majority of the water for further consumption. One possible solution is the NASA ECLSS.
Fourth, the issues of food production create a challenge for astronauts. It would be very expensive and very difficult to haul up food for consumption by hard-working settlers, explorers and miners, especially if they lived any substantial distance from Earth. Clearly, food production in space needs to be centered where people live: in the stations, asteroids and comets where these new space dwellers are likely to find their homes.
Lastly, the first settlers of space will live away from the main populace of Earth, likely working very hard to survive and make a living from the wealth of minerals and ore in space. There is no magic innovation for this problem - only hard work, with hopefully friends and family to support them in the deep, dark skies above Earth.
Although certainly these innovations listed above are highly useful and fascinating inventions in and of themselves, they were the result of careful study and work by scientists and astronauts. How much more, then, could a clever settler or miner discover out in the darkness of space? What new, revolutionary innovation might a small group of settlers create while extracting ore or striving to survive?
Although certainly the full exploration of space has not yet come to pass, the inventions at NASA, and the inherent curiosity and desperation of man to survive - and thrive - against all odds may herald great innovations, both for the explorers, and for humanity at large.

Scott Conover is a senior in business administration and history. "Space: The New Economic Frontier" is an ongoing series of articles discussing space exploration and its social, political and economic ramifications. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Conover can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.