Space Colonies have been a fascinating theme in science fiction, particularly in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. From the early entries in the series, floating colonies in space have represented not only the struggle for human survival but also philosophical and social issues regarding humanity’s future in space. However, the concept of space colonies is not just a science fiction fantasy; the idea has also been seriously considered in space science and engineering. This article explores how Gundam’s space colonies compare to real-world projects currently being developed to make human life beyond Earth a reality.
Space Colonies in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Fictional Universe
In the Mobile Suit Gundam universe, space colonies play a central role. These are massive cities floating in space, serving as population centers for a humanity that has expanded beyond Earth. Specifically, the original 1979 series introduces the concept of the Sides, large colonies located in orbits around Earth, home to millions of people.
One of the standout features of space colonies in Gundam is how they are presented in terms of their infrastructure and habitability. These colonies are not simply space stations or ships; they are self-sufficient environments that replicate life on Earth, with farming areas, residential zones, and controlled ecosystems. The design of these colonies is inspired by the concept of space habitats, particularly Gerard K. O'Neill’s idea of enormous rotating cylinders that would create artificial gravity through rotation.
In Gundam, space colonies symbolize both progress and oppression. Throughout the series, we see how these structures are places of poverty, despair, and, in many cases, conflict between the Earth Federation and Zeon. The struggle for colony independence is a recurring theme, reflecting both political conflicts and the human challenges of space colonization.
Space Colonies in Real Science: Vision and Technology
In the real world, the idea of space colonies has been a serious and evolving vision since the days of the space race. While we are still far from building colonies like those in Gundam, scientific and technological advances in the last decade suggest that creating human communities in space is not an impossible fantasy.
O'Neill’s Concept: Rotating Colonies in Space
The concept of space colonies in Gundam is heavily inspired by the ideas proposed by physicist Gerard K. O'Neill in the 1970s. O'Neill suggested that one of the best ways to build space colonies was through enormous rotating cylinders, known as O'Neill cylinders. These cylinders, which could have diameters of several kilometers, would rotate to generate artificial gravity through centrifugal force. Inside them, there would be complete habitats, with residential zones, agricultural areas, and even fully functional ecosystems.
In real science, this concept remains one of the most frequently cited when imagining space colonies for the future. O'Neill’s cylinders are not just fantasy; they are a possible solution to the challenges of human life in space. However, constructing these habitats remains a monumental challenge due to the lack of space construction technologies, the costs involved, and the long-term sustainability of such structures.
The International Space Station and Early Steps
Currently, the only human structure in space that somewhat resembles Gundam’s space colonies is the International Space Station (ISS). Although the ISS is a research station rather than a colony, its existence has been an important step toward building human habitats in space. The ISS hosts astronauts from different countries for extended periods, providing valuable data on how the human body reacts to microgravity and how we can create habitable environments in space.
However, the ISS is tiny compared to the space colonies of Gundam. Gundam’s colonies are populated by millions of people and are fully designed to be self-sufficient, whereas the ISS constantly faces challenges related to resource supply and daily life in extreme conditions.
The Gateway Project and the Future of Space Colonization
Closer to the future reality of space colonies, several projects are exploring the viability of human life in space. The Gateway Project, for example, is a NASA initiative to build a space station around the Moon that will serve as a staging point for missions to Mars and beyond. While it is not designed to be a colony in the Gundam sense, it could be a crucial step toward creating self-sufficient space colonies by providing a place where humans can live and work in space for extended periods.
Similarities and Differences: Gundam vs. Scientific Reality
Gundam’s space colonies share several similarities with real-world concepts, but there are also significant differences. Here are some of them:
Similarities
- Artificial Gravity: Both in Gundam and in O'Neill’s proposed designs, the creation of artificial gravity through the rotation of the colonies is a central aspect. In fiction and real science, this is used to ensure that inhabitants can live relatively normal lives in terms of movement and health.
- Self-sufficiency: The colonies in Gundam are designed to be self-sufficient, with agricultural crops and natural resources within the colony. This concept aligns with current scientific efforts to create sustainable space habitats that do not rely on Earth’s supplies
Differences
- • Scale: Gundam’s colonies are enormous, capable of housing millions of people. In reality, while projects like O'Neill’s cylinders exist, current colonization efforts focus on much smaller structures, such as space stations that accommodate fewer than 100 people.
- • Conflict and Politics: In Gundam, space colonies are not just places of life, but also of conflict and political struggle. This is a recurring theme in the franchise, whereas real-world space colonization is more focused on international cooperation, though not without its geopolitical challenges
The Vision of the Future
Space colonies in Mobile Suit Gundam and in real science share the common ambition of taking humanity beyond Earth, but they also highlight the inherent differences between fiction and reality. While Gundam uses these colonies as a means to explore themes of war, politics, and survival, real science faces far more complex technological and logistical challenges, though equally fascinating.
The creation of self-sufficient space colonies remains a distant possibility, but scientific advancements continue. Whether we will ever build space colonies similar to those in Gundam will depend on progress in construction technology, sustainability, and international cooperation.
What do you think about the possibility of living in space? Would you like to see a space colony like the ones in Gundam?