Cosmic Careers: Chapter Seven - Constructing Habitats

Cosmic Careers on Podcast with Alastair Browne

Note: The above illustration of the Torus Colony’s Interior is by Don Davis, and is found in The Public Domain Review. It reflects the essay concerning O’Neill Space Habitats, and can be found on the website https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/space-colony-art-from-the-1970s/.
This illustration is in the Public Domain.
When working in space, you have to live in space. In the last podcast, I have discussed the dangers to zero gravity on bone deterioration, but there is a way around it. Live in a space habitat with Earth gravity. Impossible! No, indeed. First, artificial gravity is produced when a habitat rotates, spins around. This is what our habitats would do.
But wait, there's more. We wouldn't live in a habitat with walls. We would live in a habitat in forests, gardens, parks, flowing rivers and lakes, farms, and everyone could have a home, just like on Earth. In fact, this would be better, because you can shape it any way you like.
The late Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill proposed this, habitats several miles long, settling on the interior, with windows for sunlight, producing your very own paradise. These habitats could house anywhere from 10 thousand to 400 thousand people. These are known as O'Neill Space habitats, named after the inventor. Want to know more? Listen!