We Are Going To Need Bases In Space We are going to need bases if we want to explore the solar system using manned flight. These bases will be used in the beginning to refuel and make stopovers on long tiring flights, but as we gain speed in our trips throughout the solar system the bases may have other uses. We might even find unused bases built by aliens and ancient humans, because some believe there were very advanced ancient human races on earth and perhaps Mars who left those places and may have built them. One of the problems with these bases is they may be built as forts for defensive and offensive purposes because we are carrying our dislikes of each other out into space and this might put countries on a war footing. It is a shame we have to think this way, because we could have been so much further advanced in so many areas if we could have had more cooperation between countries, but instead we are spending billions of dollars a year not only to protect the United States but other countries. Since space is so huge and space travel so dangerous a base would come in very handy for repairing ships which have a problem in flight and are too far from earth to turn back. These bases could also have a rescue ship for help with spacecraft which are stranded due to propulsion failure for some reason. Another use they could have is to store provisions. It might be very helpful if a spacecraft could resupply in route and not have to carry so much food and water on its journey. As spacecraft carry more and more passengers and crew, meeting their food demands for an entire trip could be problematic. Think of this, you are on one of those long exploratory journeys and you get sick. You are in a position where it would take six months to get back to earth, but you could reach a base in a week or so. It could save your life. Medical facilities are a very important part of space exploration, we can’t expect every spacecraft to carry a doctor onboard and even if we could, better facilities might be needed to treat the patient. A place where extra fuel is available could extend the range of the spacecraft considerably. With the knowledge we have learned about building space stations, we could put at least one around every planet and on some planets, build bases on the surface. A perfect example might be a Mars base in the beginning. There are numerous large asteroids and a mini planet could also make a good base. One important thing a base could supply on a stopover, on a long trip, could be strictly psychological. This is true especially if the trip is by only a couple of crew transporting cargo. There is a need for all humans to see and talk with others and we are not built to be alone for very long periods of time, even though it seems to happen to many of our older people who live so long they outlive their family and friends. Talking with others under these circumstances relieves the stress, as long as you are not arguing with others or fighting them. A couple of space bases in the right places could be used to protect the earth from a meteor or asteroid crashing into the planet. Right now, we are not doing a very good job on spotting them all. We have had a few close calls lately where a meteor heading near the earth was not seen until the day before. It is a lucky thing for us it missed us. We could have mining colonies on asteroids which might be able to double as a base in an emergency. This is not so far fetched as companies are now considering mining on asteroids. The question is how will they do it? Will they actually have humans on the asteroid or will all the operations be by robots and artificial intelligence. Obviously if that is the case and robots are used, it doesn’t seem to me this would make a good place to land in an emergency. If we have to decide what should the base be, should it be a space station or a land base, if possible, I think we would always have to go with a land base, but some may say it should be a space station because of the lack of gravity in space, it would make repairs easier to perform if necessary. This point is, pardon the pun, up in the air right now. If a base could grow fresh food that would make it an incredible stop for a long voyage spacecraft. Can you imagine how good fresh food would taste after 3 or 4 months in space eating rations? It might be possible to use hydroponics to grow all sorts of things. I am now going to go way out on a limb. Someday it will be possible to grow organs which are not attacked by our immune systems. Scientists are working on this right now. This means it might be possible to not only store spare parts for spacecraft, or make them with a 3D printer, but also store spare human organs for a medical emergency in space. I can see it right now, a space base becomes a popular stop over in the future and all long distance flights go to it and a popular supermarket chain opens a store there and soon after you have others like Duncan Donuts, Subway and others. We are just starting out in manned spaceflight and if we progress and don’t let a war wipe us out, things are going to change radically. We will have to get used to that fact. Populating Mars and maybe even transforming its atmosphere to a breathable one for humans could make it into another earth. At that point it could become a very popular stopover point for flights going further out into the solar system. Terraforming Mars would be bizarre, since there are those who believe when it did have an atmosphere conducive to humans which was failing, they came here and became us. Soon more advanced countries will start to build bases. The first place it will happen will be on the moon. Some think we have at least one already. The next stop probably will be Mars. Bases are coming and humans are on the verge of spreading out into the solar system. Some who are alive today may be around to see an explosion in base building.
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