Revised: April 2008

One of the objectives of the Vision for Space Exploration is for NASA to "Extend human presence across the solar system..." In order to do that, NASA must go beyond visits, like the Apollo trips to the Moon, and temporary postings, like the International Space Station, to build self-supporting colonies orbiting the Earth or on other worlds. This goal, which was purely science fiction for years and years, caught the imagination of the public in the Seventies, leading to the establishment of the organization known today as the National Space Society.

Space colonies could become the industrial heartlands of the future. The colonists would mine the other worlds of our solar system and build spacecraft and beamed power satellites that will supplement or even replace power plants on the Earth. They would also take adavantage of the plentiful raw materials, unlimited solar power, vaccuum, and microgravity in other ways, to create products that we cannot while inside the cocoon of Earth's atmosphere and gravity. In addition to potentially replacing our current Earth-polluting industries, these colonies may also help our environment in other ways. Since the colonists would create miniature biospheres to live in, they will refine our knowledge of the Earth's biosphere.

All items are available at the Headquarters Library, except as noted. NASA Headquarters employees and contractors: call (358-0172) or email Library@hq.nasa.gov for information on borrowing or in-library use of any of these items. Members of the public, contact your Local Library for the availibilty of these items. NASA Headquarters employees can request additional materials or research on this topic. The Library welcomes your comments or suggestions about this webpage.

Technical Reports

Bamberger, J.A. and E.P. Coomes. "Power Beaming Providing a Space Power Infrastructure". PNL-SA-20751. Twenty-seventh Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, San Diego, CA, 3-7 Aug. 1992.

(7036761: (2008) DOE Information Bridge)

 

Billingham, J., W.P. Gilbreath, B. Oleary, and B. Gosset (eds.). Space Resources and Space Settlements. NASA-SP-428. Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, CA, 1 Jan. 1979.

(19790024054: (2005) NTRS)

 

Brown, W.M. Space Ventures and Society Long-term Perspectives. NASA-CR-176012. Hudson Institute, Inc., Indianapolis, IN, May 1985.

(19850022650: (2005) NTRS)

 

Colangelo, Todd, Debora Hoetger, Addison Kuo, et al. SHARC: Space Habitat, Assembly, and Repair Center. NASA-CR-192031. Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 15 May 1992.

(19930008964: (2005) NTRS)

 

Curreri, Peter A. "A Minimized Technological Approach Towards Human Self Sufficiency Off Earth". Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF) Conference, Albuquerque, NM, 11-15 Feb. 2007.

(20070032685: (2007) NTRS)

 

Dipippo, S., W. Prendin, and F. Gasparoni. "Planetary Stations and Abyssal Benthic Laboratories: An Overview of Parallel Approaches for Long-term Investigation in Extreme Environments", Third International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Automation for Space, p. 301-304, NASA-CR-197340, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, 1 Oct. 1994

(19950017252: (2005) NTRS)

 

Dossey, J.R. and G. Trotti. An Investigation of the Needs and the Design of an Orbiting Space Station with Growth Capabilities. NASA-CR-151450. Rice University, Houston, TX, 1 Jan. 1977.

(19770020225: (2005) NTRS)

 

Gould, C.L. (ed.). Space Industrialization. Volume 1: Executive Summary; Final Report. NASA-CR-150720. Rockwell International, Space Division, Downey, CA, 1 April 1978.

(19780017164: (2005) NTRS)

 

Harrison, Albert A. "Antarctica: Prototype for Outer Space". NASA-TM-108095. Twenty-fourth International Congress of Psychology, Sydney, Australia, Sep. 1988.

(19930072960: (2005) NTRS)

 

Johnson, R.D., and C. Holbrow (eds.). Space Settlements: A Design Study. NASA-SP-413. Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, CA, 1 Jan. 1977.

(19770014162: (2005) NTRS)

 

McKay, Mary Fae, David S. McKay, and Michael S. Duke (eds.). Space Resources. NASA-SP-509. Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, 1992.

(20020086598: (2005) NTRS)

 

Oz, Hayrani. Project WISH: The Emerald City. NASA-CR-186692. Dept. of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, June 1990.

(19900014154: (2005) NTRS)

 

Ramohalli, Kumar and John S. Lewis (eds.). NASA Space Engineering Research Center for Utilization of Local Planetary Resources. NASA-CR-188222. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 1 April 1991.

(19910015052: (2005) NTRS)

 

Schmitt, Harison H. "The Real World and Lunar Base Activation Scenarios", The Second Conference on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the Twenty-first Century, vol. 2, p. 667-671, NASA-CP-3166, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, 5-7 April 1988.

(19930004784: (2005) NTRS)

 

University of Texas Mission Design. Gateway: An Earth Orbiting Transportation Node. NASA-CR-184751. University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 6 May 1988.

(19890008241: (2005) NTRS)

 

Woodcock, G.R. (ed.). Solar Power Satellite System Definition Study. Vol. 1, Phase 1: Executive Summary; Final Report. NASA-CR-160370. Boeing Aerospace Company, Seattle, WA, 16 Feb. 1979.

(19800004884: (2004) NASD)

Note: This report has recently been scanned, and may be available to the general public through NTRS in the near future.

Internet Resources

AIAA Space Colonization Technical Committee. 2008 [28 April 2008].

http://www.aiaa.org/portal/index.cfm?adview=12&tcspageid=910&getcomm=195

 

Globus, Dr. Ruth. Space Settlements. 18 April 2008 [28 April 2008].

http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Services/Education/SpaceSettlement/index.html

 

Mendell, W.W. Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21^st Century. 29 March 2005 [28 April 2008].

http://ads.harvard.edu/books/lbsa/

 

National Space Society. Space Settlement Nexus. 24 March 2008. [28 April 2008].

http://www.nss.org/settlement/

Note: This is an online archive of scanned documents and books, many of which are out of print.

 

Owens, Charles. In Situ Resource Utilization. 17 April 2008 [28 April 2008].

http://isru.msfc.nasa.gov

 

Space Studies Institute. 12 March 2008 [28 April 2008].

http://www.ssi.org