This is an outline for the proposed Land Code of the Republic of Mordan Continue reading Land code
The Case Against Mars
We are, to put it mildly, no fans of the colonization of Mars and instead we favor orbital space settlements. In the video below Simon Whistler of the TopTenz YouTube channel gives a nice summary of the challenges people will face on Mars.
It is not to say that orbital space habitats will be easy to build but given the particular difficulties Martian settlers will face, it will be the better alternative.
Of related interest: Interesting Engineering has an in depth article on the challenges of building human settlements on Mars.
Fending off dementia
Dementia is obviously bad for those who suffer from this condition, but it also puts a strain on society. First of all, it removes potentially active people from society and secondly other people have to take care of dementia patients. Continue reading Fending off dementia
Organ cultivation
Last week Japan announced it would allow experiments to grow human organs in animals. These experiments are controversial, not in the least place because of animal welfare concerns and the possibility of cross-species diseases. However, xenotransplantation is not the only line of research pursued to solve the shortage of donor organs. Continue reading Organ cultivation
Science round up 3
Once again we list some interesting science news items, we believe are relevant for future orbital space settlements. Continue reading Science round up 3
School discipline
All school teachers have to deal with unruly students from time to time. It is generally accepted that unwanted behavior should incur some kind of sanctions but opinions differ on what type of punishment is really effective. Earlier we proposed that schools should reward good behaviour. Continue reading School discipline
Simple questions
ScienceDaily reports an interesting study: Preschool teachers ask children too many simple questions. The bottom line is that most questions teachers at kindergarten ask to their pupils are way too simple (i.e. eighty-five percent of the children were able to answer them). Continue reading Simple questions
Heat regulations
As a citizen and resident of the Netherlands I have to cope with a row of extreme warm weather – the 75-year-old temperature record has been broken several times yesterday and will do again today. Even worst I live in the hottest part of the country. Continue reading Heat regulations
Happy anniversary
Today it’s fifty years ago that Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon – after having landed there six hours earlier (on July 20, 1969) – quickly followed by Buzz Aldrin, while Michael Collins remained in Lunar orbit. This is a great milestone in human space exploration and unfortunately until this day still the farthest point humans have traveled.
However, it’s very likely that mankind will return to the Moon, the question is only when. On Wattpad I have published a story about the future of human activity on the Moon and in particular I deal with the conflicting ideas people will have about the use of our only natural satellite.
Asteroids and Water
Water is essential to human life – as our bodies consist for about 60 percent of it – and finding a suitable and abundant source of water is crucial for the establishment and survival for orbital space settlements. Fortunately water is composed from two of the three most common elements in the Universe: hydrogen and oxygen. Continue reading Asteroids and Water
