nomenal five space stations orbit Earth space drones make deliveries between the stations this marks the beginning of the Space Age economy Paving the way for Farm stations that grow food for other stations in 15 years time rotating artificial gravity habitats and Military space stations in 30 years the first great space war and a black market of smuggled space Goods in 70 years years let's take a journey into the future starting in 2030 with the retiring of the ISS and ending in 2170 and Beyond when a ring World space station is built with its own artificial atmosphere and small lakes that evaporate creating clouds and Rain the last Starship docks at the ISS as the space station is finally retired the station is sent crashing down into the Pacific Ocean at Point Nemo taking its place orbiting Earth are five space stations from different countries and companies while the Starship Mark I being 18 m in diameter is large enough to be a space station itself and works on launching larger parts for Space Station construction second generation space stations around the Moon act as solar system post offices they are Transit stations for cargo ships the spaceships drop off cargo and passengers at the space stations where smaller shuttle Rockets deliver the goods down to the surface SpaceX launches the tech Nova Starship station into Earth's orbit where onboard scientists work on researching Advanced space rocket technology in a micro gravity environment on another station a golf ball-sized meteoroid strike on a living module prompts the first fullscale evacuation and emergency repair Mission plans are drawn up to equip Space Station with lasers that detect and deflect any future small meteoroids another danger space stations face comes from cosmic radiation causing bit flips in computer memory leading to software crashes and incorrect calculations the SpaceX Starline station orbits Earth it acts as a gas station and a mechanics garage cryogenically storing Fuel and mechanical spare parts for repairs and maintenance The Starships never have to return back to Earth mechanics work on board the Starline station during the week returning to Earth for the weekend the birth of orbiting refueling stations divide spaceships into three classes the first type is the atmosphere class spacecraft that are designed to launch and land back on Earth needing to break through the thick atmosphere with added heat shields fuel storage and Landing thrusters the second type is the space class designed just for the vacuum of interpace travel and the third type type is the landing shuttles smaller spacecraft designed to transport cargo and passengers from orbiting space stations down to the surface of the Moon and Mars where there is only a thin atmosphere that the spaceship needs to break through chefs on Earth become Astros chefs they cook with produce grown in microgravity on board a space station which is then sent back to Earth and served in luxury restaurants as a culinary experience the microgravity Alters the growth patterns of the plants leading to Unique flavors and textures not achievable on Earth some of the public question why the rich are eating this food not grown on Earth and what kind of health benefits they are keeping to themselves the plants on the space station grow larger cells have higher concentrations of antioxidants interact differently when cooked with other ingredients and exhibit different nutritional profiles others question the safety as the food grown in space is exposed to higher levels of cosmic radiation a strain of GR is successfully grown on board the space station the first space wine is sent back to Earth the first government gives permission for the first off-ear birth the baby is born in a medical facility on board a space station orbiting Earth believing it is now safe to do so and is needed for the future understanding of how humans will make space their second home government space stations use cameras and facial recognition to track their as astronaut activities their screens are screenshot every 5 Seconds the station uses an AI system to predict and manage potential conflicts among the crew based on personality data and interaction patterns commercial stations claim they are more relaxed on tracking their crew this leads to more trained astronauts and scientists signing up with commercial space companies five small space station factories are orbiting Earth they are autonomous being run by robots raw material materal are sent from Earth and goods which can only be manufactured in microgravity are returned Goods such as high efficiency batteries a high-speed global internet cable called zblan and regenerative medicine because liquids can be used to 3D print in space bio3d printed human tissue is manufactured for use back on Earth space stations are using space drones for autonomous maintenance a space station Farm starts using drones to deliver food to other space stations creating the first purely space-based economy plans are underway to build more Farm stations around the moon and Mars and larger space farms are being designed with onboard vertical Farms drink Harvesters and lab growing meat machines the First Solar System currency is introduced used across various space colonies and stations separated from the less stable Earth currencies the first military space station equipped with stealth Health technology is launched nanoengineered metam materials Bend electromagnetic waves around the station while a dynamic coating adjusts the visual appearance and thermal output to match its surrounding environment making the station invisible a space station is built in Earth's orbit to intercept and catch space junk Recycling and repurposing it into new materials on board the space junk station a team of space archaeologists study the remaining of old satellites and spacecraft analyzing the effects of space on the materials a delivery drone veers off course crashing into the side of another space station and killing everyone on board people wonder was it an accident or deliberate possibly making it the first known Act of interstation sabotage a new space station around the Moon called the drum fires up its spin thrusters a ring around the station begins to rotate they are testing the first full-scale artificial gravity habitat the station will later be converted into an emergency medical hub for the humans on the moon who require emergency medical procedures that need full Earth gravity saving a 3-day Journey back to Earth a research space station in deep space that is studying the geology of other planets moons and asteroids reaches 300 occupants the crew protest as it becomes known that weapons have been brought on board for security and to maintain order an astronaut arrives on board a space station with a personal device that is embedded with a corrupted and unregulated artificial intelligence the virus infects the onboard AI system making it think that no one is on board the space station so it begins to shut down the life support systems forcing the inhabitants to Take Back Control manually the astronaut is investigated to see if it was a r V virus or if the person was recruited or targeted the mysterious disappearance of a crew member sets off an investigation on board a government space station the last mandatory journal entries of the crew show psychological distress spreading on board the first space killing is reported on the moon the lunar cargo elevator project faces delays and construction difficulties the plan is to have a small space station that orbits the moon where cargo ships will dock an elevator will transport the goods down to the surface and at the base of the elevator a Lobby will house a station for the levitating lunar Railway the largest zg space Hotel opens in geostationary orbit completing one orbit around Earth every 24 hours it is a sevenstar hotel there is an onboard Cinema for 35 people with chairs that have seat belts a rotating section of the station allows passengers to experience gravity while in space and there is also zero gravity yoga tourists flock to the hotel during celestial events attending viewing parties for Comet showers eclipses and welcoming parties for Rockets returning from Mars there is a small Interstellar Museum showcasing meteorite samples and artifacts from various space [Music] missions cultural clashes emerge over space deaths earth-based Rel religions require bodies to be brought back to their birthplace new space Traditions begin to take shape the first great space war is avoided an AI system on board a lunar space station mistakenly interpreted another Space Station's actions as hostile a small space station that orbits the moon acts as a House of law away from Earth's jurisdiction the station was originally set up to protect territory claims for corporations on the moon but now the house of law has expanded to cover AI usage weaponizing regulations and the monitoring of biological cross-contamination but not all space agencies and private companies abide by their Authority there is also a rising number of workers rights cases as the people who work on the space stations their lives depend on the supplies sent from Earth by their corporations and governments creating a radical unbalance of power unmaintained working environments have led to inhumane main living conditions there is talk about whether the house of law should be building up its own security force a space station orbiting Mars with a rotating gravity drum begins experimenting with artificial womb technology allowing for external pregnancy and gestation a space hotel now has rooms for 700 Earth retirees offering seniors a chance to spend their Golden Years overlooking Earth and with no gravity they're able to stay mobile with less [Music] pain space stations are being built in the asteroid belt Beyond Mars these stations will be used by the Mars colony to study comets and asteroids and will become bases for mining operations the first enclosed self-sustainable space station Colony has been functioning for the last 2 years around Mars never needing life support supplies from Mars or Earth the station is is using experimental bio- regenerating life support systems systems that use ultra high efficiency bioengineered plants and algae to recycle air and water and to produce food the interior of the station is bathed in a light blue as biolumin lights are used created by inserting bioluminescent glowing genes taken from Plankton and Jellyfish into new hosts producing biolit a Mars space station begins cloning extinct Earth animals there is a space-based Black Market of smuggled Goods the goods include Tech minerals and luxury food since most food on a space station is grown in space there is a high demand for Natural Earth grown food that have strict biocontrol regulations there are rumors of exotic rocks and Isotopes from the Moon and Mars being smuggled back to Earth as well as the smuggling of genetically engineered organisms and weapons technology that is developed in space to avoid Earth regulations and taxes a small research space station Beyond Mars in the asteroid belt experiences five technical life support errors leading to a Cascade of further failures they are too far away for a supply ship to reach them in time their only way of survival is to be put into the first Forest hibernation earth works on a plan to chemically induce the crew into a suspended animation putting them to sleep by using a combination of anesthetics lowering the temperature on the station and lowering the oxygen levels to induce hypoxia the rescue mission is given the name Apollo 13 humans are being recycled when they die on board space stations nothing in space is wasted class Warfare on space stations is getting worse creating larger divides among people with each class getting different access to gravity and life support wealthier inhabitants on space stations claim rights to areas with higher earthlike gravity located further on the outside of rotating rings and different sections of stations have different atmospheric compositions and air quality those who have committed crimes or are underperforming are put on the most basic levels of life support and gravity a mining space station out in the asteroid belt is requesting better working conditions and faster deliveries of life support supplies from its corporation on Earth the company says that the cost of shipping cargo is getting higher the station workers report that the company will stop sending supplies until they get back to work Mars is looking to step in to assist the mining workers the first aging acceleration epidemic due to unknown causes sees the crew rapidly getting older theories of the cause point to radiation exposure the crew could have been exposed to a previously unknown type of Cosmic radiation affecting human DNA caused by some kind of exotic astronomical event a robotic station is built and sent Beyond Mars to orbit around Jupiter the station is an Extinction Vault storing digitized knowledge human DNA and seeds from Earth there are rumors that a private asteroid mining station in the belt has found signs of panspermia which are microorganisms on an asteroid that could start life when when reaching a suitable Planet the crew have brought samples on board the station a dermatologist and an exod disease specialist are sent from Earth to an asteroid mining Outpost to examine the workers for a skin condition 6 months go by without any contact from space station Amora the area around the space station has become a no-fly zone conspiracies spread that there are military spaceships stationed nearby and that a body has been taken off the station for medical research there are also rumors that one of the miners left the station before the medical team arrived there are over 100 crude Space Telescope stations around the solar system stationed from Venus to Mars and Jupiter astronomers and astrobiologists on board these deep space stations are observing distant stars and galaxies and capturing images of exoplanets in other star systems with enough detail to identify surface features and signs of microbial life astronomers on board the largest telescope station the interstellar Imaging space station the iiss are detecting gravitational waves dark matter and dark energy the Mercury space station is researching possible new ways to harness the sun's energy and to develop small forms of mirror-based Dyson Sphere technology [Music] construction begins on the largest ever rotating space station with its own artificial atmosphere and weather system the Ring World space station will be named Atmos the Crown Jewel will be an artificial interior Sun the space station is so large that water from the small lakes evaporate creating clouds and Rain humanity is controlling its own weather energy supplies and life support making the passengers on board this ring World space station a type 1.5 cev civilization a story for another time the first and second volumes of the Encyclopedia of the future are available on patreon