/sci/ - Science & Math

I want to dismantle the planet Mercury and use the metal to build space habitats.
Let’s not assume any radical new tech but our budget is the GNP of Earth for the next 1,000 years.
The metal in Mercury is enough to build 4 or 5 billion habitats like the one described below.
An O'Neill habitat with a livable area of 10 sq. KM could comfortably support 5,000 people. This assumes all the "land" is used for agriculture and living spaces are under "ground"
We add a wobble to the orbit to provide natural day & night cycles. Photovoltaic cells on the outside provide power. If we use part of the outside as an algae farm we can use some of the inside surface for recreation; a nice park or woods.
So, 5,000 * 4,000,000,000. That’s a happy home for twenty trillion human beings.

Use different designs, different concepts. experment, play with them for decades.
Let them develop their own culture out there over decades. Raise families,

>>3061273

Any civilisation capable of travelling between solar systems is going to be post biological.

It doesn't make sense for them to terraform planets once they get to their destination.

If you really wanted a biosphere you could build a large space habitat much more easily.