Life in 2100: Examining Five Key Developments

Friday - September 29 2023, 10:57 UTC - 1 year ago

In this article, we examine how the major developments of nanotechnology, biotechnology and cybernetics, commercial spaceflight, and hypersonic trains will create a new era in education, sports, leisure, and warfare. In particular, space exploration and growth of the commercial space sector will lead to humans living beyond Earth in large numbers with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) transitioning from a commercialized environment to a populated one. This will be helped immensely by the creation of a Space Elevator, allowing people to "lift" to orbit and beyond. As a result, Low Earth Orbit Habitats (LEOH) could become very common by 2100, allowing for a large orbital population.

Welcome back to our series on what life will be like by 2100. In our two previous installments, we examined how major developments such as nanotechnology, nanoassembly, biotechnology, cybernetics, commercial spaceflight, and hypersonic trains will revolutionize the way people work, travel, and live their lives.

In our third and final installment, we will examine how these developments will lead to a new era in education, sports, leisure, and warfare. In addition, achievements in space exploration and growth in the commercial space sector will lead to humans living beyond Earth in large numbers.

Living and working in space will also dramatically affect people's lives on Earth, where regenerative life support systems (RLSS) and ecological engineering will have applications for climate restoration. And, of course, all of this advancement will blur the lines between simulation and reality, robotic and human, artificial intelligence and natural. One thing is clear: life will never be the same again… again! .

Migration to space .

Some major developments are expected for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and beyond by the end of this century. As noted in our previous segment, Life in 2050, humanity can already expect LEO to be a very busy place by mid-century. At that point, the space lanes will likely be criss-crossed by reusable spaceplanes, commercial space stations, and many satellites! .

By 2100, LEO will likely have transitioned from a commercialized environment to a populated one. This will be helped immensely by the creation of a Space Elevator, which could be realized using graphene ribbons, as soon as the late 2030s. By 2050, it is a safe bet that this structure will be in development, and by 2100, it's a safe bet that more than one will exist.In fact, three Space Elevators could exist by the turn of the century, located equidistant from each other along the equator. These could be elevators on land located in northern Brazil (serving the Americas), Kampala, Uganda (servicing Africa and Eurasia), and the island of Borneo (serving East Asia-Pacific). Alternatively, they could be built at sea on the islands of Isla Santa Cruz (Pacific), São Tomé and Príncipe (Atlantic), and the Maldives (Indian Ocean). Possible names include the Beanstalk, the Ladder, the Cable, the String, and the Thread, or whatever the nations hosting them decide. The presence of these elevators will mean that spaceplanes and rockets will have limited use. While they will still probably be used for launching small payloads or private customers, large groups of people and heavy cargo will be "lifted" to orbit and beyond.

As a result, Low Earth Orbit Habitats (LEOH) could become very common by 2100, allowing for an "orbital population" that numbers in the millions. These habitats will consist of pinwheel stations, O’Neil Cylinders, or both. They will rotate to provide artificial gravity, have functioning biomes that act as regenerative life support systems (RLSS), and accommodate tourists, research facilities, workers, and residents.

These habitats will require regular transportation services, which could involve small spacecraft using ion tugs or SpaceBalloons, shuttle tugs, refuelable space cruisers, or cryogenic storage ships.