Orbiting colonies?

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34126, 12 April 1976, Page 17

Orbiting colonies?

(N.Z. Press Assn—Copyright) COCOA BEACH (Florida), April 9. Scientists attending a meeting of National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials today discussed space I colonies which could employ as many as 10,000 people, and Lunar listening stations to detect (life in outer space, the (Associated Press reported. “Self-sufficient space colonies were a possibility within two decades,” Dr G. O’Neill, a professor of physics at Princeton University, told the thirteenth annual space congress.

“The first manufacturing colony could be established in orbit 15 years from the moment of decision,” Dr O’Neill said. “The only limitation on establishment is the decision to go ahead.” Housing and manufacturing facilities would be built using materials mined from the Moon.

“Ninety-eight per cent of the material used in the construction could come from the Moon, which would be

cheaper than carrying it from Earth,” he said. “The colony would use solar power, and residents would grow their own crops and raise animals for food,” said Dr O’Neill.

He said colony workers could build solar power plants for use on Earth, and could manufacture spaceships and other items. xMr J. Yardley, associate administrator of N.A.S.A., said a large permanent space station could easily be established within 10 years. “The time is getting ripe to plan a space station as a permanent operational base,” he said.

“N.A.S.A. is studying such a programme, but a decision is not expected for several years,” Mr Yardley said. In another presentation to the 700 space officials participating in the last day of the tnree-day conference. Dr W. Donaldson, Technical Director for the Federal Electric (Corporation, proposed building radio antennas on the Moon to detect life on other (planets. “Many scientists agree that life in outer space is a certainty, and likely to be more advanced than ours. There is a 50 per cent probability of detecting life within the next five years,” he said.