At this point, I am still not terribly sure what I want to do for a final project. However, after my research into self-repleicating habitats last week, and hearing others talk, I am convinced that it must be something that helps humans to survive on this planet, not off of it. As I said before, the time table outlined by most sites for viable space colonization, at least 100 years, and possibly up to 1500, depend upon our still being around when the project is finished in order to be worth while. So, what I will propose is an environmentally sound, sustainable earth based solution. As I see it, my solution will require both a biological and a mechanical component in order to succed. By biological I am refering primarily to single celled organisms and plants, though it may be possible and necessary to include various fauna and fungus in the mix in the mix, particularly those involved int he decomposition of organic matter.
At this time my main ideas are:
To create habitat undergraound, primarily using various mining techniques, with the self replication being primarily involved in the creation of diggers and structural parts. Some of the problems include the provision of light, energy production, water/flodding control, shifting in the earth, possibility of cave-ins, difference in material to go through, etc.
To create habitat above ground, with distinct emphasis on the use of plants as an integral part of the habitat, whether merely as internal climate control and water filtration, or as the sturcture itself. The Use of plants also to cover up the appearance of the structure. Things to consider as well are weather, climate, insulation, water source, having enough sunlight, power source (probably solar and wind, though others may work as well), building materials, especially if plants are not part of structure, and also the nutrients required by the plants in order to survive. There is much more to consider, but at this time I am not going to list all of them. WIth? the plants, the self replication is obvious, but with other components of the buildings, it might be harder to figure out. If the sturctures are to be truly self replicating, then they must be able to harvest the resources that they need in order to reproduce, so some sort of mining function might have to be included anyways. One of the major benefits of terraforming mars or venus is that we do not have to worry about what we do to that planet in terms of mining out resources in order to build the sturctures, and we know there are large quantites of material avialable ther to use. It does not really matter if screw up a ny balances on the planet, because it is already uninhabitable. On Earth, on the other hand, we have to be careful that our actions do not upset various balances.
With the above ground structures, I also must thouroughly consider the visual/physical space that they will take up. One, can as BLANK proposed, build sturcutres to fill the unused spaces of cities. This seem like a good possibilty, but my conern her is, for one, further blocking of the sunlight in the cities, as well as the (possible) need to connect these structures to the current infrastucture, as well as dealing with the massive amounts of beaurocracy, current residents of an area, etc. owever I must admit it is possible a very good way to make use of unused space in the city. I just had and idea. What if the self replicating habitat went through large urban areas and tore down the abandoned and disused buildings, or repaired them, and reused the materials from said buildings to create new structures. Of course, once again, there is the issure of aesthetics and what the residents of that city are willing to put up with/include. If you build in a new area, or a sparsely populated one, you do not have to worry about this issue so much, and if you build underground, you do not have to worry much at all about how things look from the outside.
Ofcourse, it is much easier to make a structure above ground than it is to make one below ground. Another possible line to pursue is the use of self replicating habitats for refugees and the poorest parts of world. In this cases, one must still, and in many wasys especially, consider the availibility of water and energy sources. However, If we can make a self replicating habitat for the those in the most dire conditions, we may be able to cheaply and wuickly alleviate the burdens and there lives and raise their standard of living. SOme? ideas I have come across and come up with include the use of concrete, resins, plants, clay, adobe, wood, etc, depending on the materials at hand. Of course, it might be hard to say how these structures are self replicating. A resin structure might be able to be made of the same materials as the bot that constructs it The main issue I am seeing here is hwo, if you are using bots, to replicate the motors/actuators, etc. Of course, there is the possibility o f making structures, that also act as molds for forming more structures. It does seem though that the biggest problem is making the bot replicate in such desolate areas with out the importation of materials. Resins, concrete, and similiar composite materials can largely be made from resources at hand, but most metals must be mined, even if your only metals are the conductors in your circuitry. Obviously, further research is required.
3)Another possibility is self replicating habitats on or underneath water. Some of the issues that immediately present themselves to me is the potential imapact on marine life, and the hazards of storms at sea. However, one does not really need to worry about access to water, though if you are below the waves you may have to worry about access to power.