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arXiv:2011.07487physics.pop-ph

Terraforming the dwarf planet: Interconnected and growable Ceres megasatellite world

Pekka Janhunen

Early discovery. Linked by one identifiable commenter. This paper is outside the main ranking; a mention is not an endorsement.

Abstract

We analyse a megasatellite settlement built from Ceres materials in high Ceres orbit. Ceres is selected because it has nitrogen, which is necessary for an earthlike atmosphere. To have $1 g$ artificial gravity, spinning habitats are attached to a disk-shaped megasatellite frame by passively safe magnetic bearings. The habitats are illuminated by concentrated sunlight produced by planar and parabolic mirrors. The motivation is to have a settlement with artificial gravity that allows growth beyond Earth's living area, while also providing easy intra-settlement travel for the inhabitants and reasonably low population density of 500 /km$^2$. To enable gardens and trees, a 1.5 m thick soil is used. The soil is upgradable to 4 m if more energy is expended in the manufacturing phase. The mass per person is $10^7$ kg, most of which is lightly processed radiation shield and soil. The goal is a long-term sustainable world where all atoms circulate. Because intra-settlement travel can be propellantless, achieving this goal is possible at least in principle. Lifting the materials from Ceres is energetically cheap compared to processing them into habitats, if a space elevator is used. Because Ceres has low gravity and rotates relatively fast, the space elevator is feasible.

arXiv comments
Corrections in JBIS proof phase, corrected version plus corrected scale of Ceres in Figs. 8 and A.1; 27 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables
Journal reference
DOI
Subjects
physics.pop-phPopular Physics

On Hacker News

Linked by 1 identifiable commenter in 13 comments across 13 threads, from May 2021 to Jul 2025. Found in 2 HN submissions from Jan 2021 to Feb 2021. Open submission discussions.

Comments linking this paper, per year.

Discussed in comments13 threads

  1. Where is my von Braun wheel? 1 comment

    • Rotation. You don’t live on the surface but you build a beanstalk and build a big framework of small O’Neill’s cylinders. See https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.07487 I’d say this paper thoroughly debunks all other space colonization plans in comparison. For instance it is not…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  2. Scientists have found a way to 'tattoo' tardigrades 1 comment

    • Bezos's vision is better than Musk's. This plan to gravitationally disrupt Ceres and turn 100% of it into habitat strictly dominates all other space colonization ideas in our solar system not least that it can provide more square feet of habitat than Earth does but probably not…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  3. Ask HN: Why isn't anyone else bothered by the fact that life is only on Earth? 1 comment

    • How would we discover simple life forms elsewhere in the universe? It's not impossible the Mars rovers could have have found fossils, but it's not like we've been to the 100 million other stars in this galaxy, never mind any other galaxy. Our radio and other telescopes aren't…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  4. Against all odds, an asteroid mining company appears to be making headway 1 comment

    • Where did I say I’d waste volatiles moving things around? (1) Build a solar sail factory on a CC asteroid and you can deliver sunshades to Earth-Sun L1 without wasting volatiles as reaction mass (2) If you read this paper and really thought about it…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  5. Once again, the US public says NASA should prioritize asteroid defense 1 comment

    • … exploitation of carbonaceous asteroids. For that matter colonizing Mars is for people who think Ray Bradbury is a good sci-fi writer. Really ambitious and imaginative people know there is a lot more lebensraum in the asteroid belt: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2011.07487.pdf

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  6. Humans Living on Mars May Not Be Human for Long 1 comment

    • The interest in Mars shows a lack of imagination. Mars is a tiny planet and it is at best going to be a sideshow compared to Earth. This paper outlines a plan to build a habitat with a larger population than the Earth by disassembling the dwarf planet Ceres…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  7. The series of fortunate astrophysical events that gave us Ceres 1 comment
  8. Don’t Fear the Filter 1 comment

    • Leaves out the argument that interstellar travel is hard, that is, the distance between the stars is the filter. If you think interstellar civilizations are based around stars and inner solar system planets it is very hard. Some lucky civilization might pull it off once (say…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  9. There’s no planet B 1 comment

    • Not like we can count on it, but most of the living space in the universe is not on the surface of planets but rather could be built out of carbon and water rich asteroids (though it is Nitrogen that looks like the hardest thing to get right now) https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.07487…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  10. A Dyson sphere around a black hole 1 comment

    • I think it's interesting to work the problem through backwards. Imagine that a population was settled in some situation like https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.07487 and they were interested in visiting the Earth after 1000 years of not doing so. Alternately imagine some species with an…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  11. Despite Tuesday’s flight, Jeff Bezos is running out of time to save Blue Origin 1 comment

    • I would go back to Gerard K O'Neill who didn't indulge in the full-fledged transhumanism of Timothy Leary, et al. (e.g. if you're grown-up you don't need personal immortality) I think Mars is for the birds, cutting up a carbonaceous or wet asteroid to construct a solar-sail…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  12. China Just Announced That It's Sending the First Humans to Mars 1 comment

    • What resources and where to? People living on astronomical body X will use what they can in place. It's hard to see that anything could be profitably mined on the moon and shipped to Earth (most competitive markets for anything in the Solar System) and Mars is worse. Even the…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

  13. Sixty Billion Stars. and No Aliens? What Now? 1 comment

    • (1) You need a much better telescope to see evidence of alien life. Something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOCAL_(spacecraft) could plausibly pick up accidental EM emissions from civilizations on Earth. (2) Most of the habitable places in the universe with liquid water by…

      PaulHouleView on HNParent context

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