Asteroids are potential colonization sites due to their large surface area and valuable resources. Excavated asteroids could sustain life and provide a basis for an inner solar system economy. Colonizing asteroids could also be a solution to overpopulation on Earth.
Since the mid-20th century, space enthusiasts and visionaries have looked to asteroids as possible colonization sites. There are about ten billion asteroids larger than 20 meters in diameter, and their combined surface area is much larger than that of the Earth. The largest asteroid, Ceres, has a surface area comparable to that of central Europe. The 100 largest asteroids are 32 km in diameter or more. There are another 200 billion asteroids between 100 and 10 meters in diameter. Many of these contain valuable resources worth millions or billions of dollars.
It was Isaac Asimov who first suggested emptying the asteroids before fixing them. Unlike some celestial bodies, such as the Moon, some asteroids contain substantial carbon and volatile substances such as water, both of which are necessary to sustain life. An excavated asteroid would have a natural shield (the surface) to block dangerous cosmic rays and micrometeorites, and if it could be spun fast enough, the inner surface would have artificial gravity in regions perpendicular to the spin axis.
While internal supports would be needed to keep an asteroid from collapsing under its own gravity, being of relatively low mass, even if one of these supports should fail, it would not be necessary to kill everyone inside. With several layers of artificial shields supporting the asteroid’s surface, there would be little reason to worry about a breach or unexpected collapse.
Asteroids contain a huge amount of precious materials, especially platinum group metals, which could fetch high prices if shipped to Earth and sold there. This could become the basis for an inner solar system economy. Many of the most precious metals on Earth sank long ago, but on asteroids these materials are readily available. As our global civilization continues to develop, many of its key resources may come from asteroids rather than Earth itself.
As our population on Earth continues to grow at a rate of about 2% annually, the planet will eventually become too crowded to support everyone. The solution: colonize the inner solar system, especially the asteroids. Perhaps the main reason for colonizing asteroids is their relatively low gravity: The amount of energy required to launch a package outside Earth’s gravity well is frighteningly large, but on many asteroids it is insignificant.
For more information, check out one of the most popular books on the subject, Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from Comets and Asteroids.
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