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Ignoring the fact that multiple colonies already exist on Antarctica and living there is legally restricted to anyone without an army behind them, or that many

Ignoring the fact that multiple colonies already exist on Antarctica and living there is legally restricted to anyone without an army behind them, or that many people live under the ocean for large periods of time?

moloch-hai 4y ago
There are exactly zero colonies on Antarctica. Literally all sites are 100% dependent on regular deliveries of all supplies, excepting air and maybe water, from overseas, with no plan for that ever to change, and no permanent residents. The usual term is "outpost", or for a larger operation, "base". There are no undersea outposts, even. Construction crews sometimes encamp for a few weeks for big hazard pay. There are two (count 'em!) low-orbital outposts that get literally all supplies except sunshine from the ground.
- Grimburger 4y ago
  The ISS is completely self-sufficient for water and air. No country on Earth is fully self-sufficient in what it uses and is dependent on supplies shipped to it from elsewhere. The word colony in the sense of space exploration and other extreme habitats means permanent occupation and exploitation of the resources there.
  - Ekaros 4y ago
    Doesn't ISS generate oxygen from water and water is essentially shipped in? Either as water or as food. In the end methane is vented to space. I wouldn't call system needing pretty major inputs a self-sufficient one.
    - farmaway 4y ago
      You are correct: >4. Sabatier reactor >Inside this machine, a blast of roughly 750°F heat breaks the bonds inside CO₂, forcing it into its constituent elements. The carbon and oxygen combine with hydrogen from the station’s oxygen generating system to make H₂O and methane (CH₄), the latter of which vents into space. https://www.popsci.com/how-iss-recycles-air-and-water/ https://www.popsci.com/how-iss-recycles-air-and-water/
  - moloch-hai 4y ago
    Every last molecule used on ISS is boosted from Earth, and recently. ISS does a bit of recycling to reduce the amount needed. There are exactly zero permanent inhabitants: any would die. They exploit no in-situ resource, except sunshine using frequently-replaced solar panels.

moloch-hai 4y ago

There are exactly zero colonies on Antarctica. Literally all sites are 100% dependent on regular deliveries of all supplies, excepting air and maybe water, from overseas, with no plan for that ever to change, and no permanent residents. The usual term is "outpost", or for a larger operation, "base". There are no undersea outposts, even. Construction crews sometimes encamp for a few weeks for big hazard pay. There are two (count 'em!) low-orbital outposts that get literally all supplies except sunshine from the ground.

Grimburger 4y ago
The ISS is completely self-sufficient for water and air. No country on Earth is fully self-sufficient in what it uses and is dependent on supplies shipped to it from elsewhere. The word colony in the sense of space exploration and other extreme habitats means permanent occupation and exploitation of the resources there.
- Ekaros 4y ago
  Doesn't ISS generate oxygen from water and water is essentially shipped in? Either as water or as food. In the end methane is vented to space. I wouldn't call system needing pretty major inputs a self-sufficient one.
  - farmaway 4y ago
    You are correct: >4. Sabatier reactor >Inside this machine, a blast of roughly 750°F heat breaks the bonds inside CO₂, forcing it into its constituent elements. The carbon and oxygen combine with hydrogen from the station’s oxygen generating system to make H₂O and methane (CH₄), the latter of which vents into space. https://www.popsci.com/how-iss-recycles-air-and-water/ https://www.popsci.com/how-iss-recycles-air-and-water/
- moloch-hai 4y ago
  Every last molecule used on ISS is boosted from Earth, and recently. ISS does a bit of recycling to reduce the amount needed. There are exactly zero permanent inhabitants: any would die. They exploit no in-situ resource, except sunshine using frequently-replaced solar panels.