GR 2021 - Science 02 - Space Colonization Terms and Method

Study online at https://quizlet.com/_9w9ms6

1. Hyperspace a region of the universe where the laws of general and

special relativity do not apply

2. warp speed A very high rate of speed, extremely fast pace, a theoret-
ical superluminal spacecraft

3. Wormholes a shortcut: the distance through it is less than the distance

if you directly travelled there

4. Homeostasis process by which organisms/humans maintain a relatively

stable internal environment required for them to live per-
manently outside Earth

5. terraforming the process of modifying a planet, moon or other body to

a more habitable atmosphere, temperature or ecology.

6. genetic engineer- Changing organisms to become more compatible with the

ing, transhuman- environment, ie. integrating the habitat into organisms
ism

7. Self-replication an optional attribute, but many think it the ultimate goal

because it allows a much more rapid increase in colonies,
while eliminating costs to and dependence on Earth.

8. interplanetary biological contamination of a planetary body by a space

contamination probe or spacecraft (planetary protection against forward
and backward transmission)

9. artificial magne- man-made magnetic field

tospheres

10. Dyson sphere a hypothetical megastructure harvesting all of the energy

from the sun and then take it to the Earth

11. Extremophiles an organism that thrives in extreme environments

12. Biosphere 2 It duplicates Earth's biosphere

13. Goldilocks zone

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 GR 2021 - Science 02 - Space Colonization Terms and Method
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_9w9ms6
The habitable zone is the area around a star where it is
not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on the
surface of surrounding planets

14. Exoplanets Planets that orbit around other stars

15. super-habitable alien worlds that are even more habitable than Earth-like
& super-Earth planets

16. "50/500" rule of initially advanced by Franklin and Soule, this rule says a
thumb short-term effective population size (Ne) of 50 is needed
to prevent an unacceptable rate of inbreeding, while a
long-term Ne of 500 is required to maintain overall genetic
variability.

17. Mars Its size is similar to Earth, it has large water reserves,
and has carbon. However, its atmosphere is very thin and
the climate is colder. Its gravity is only around a third
that of Earth. It is often the topic of discussion regarding
terraforming to make the entire planet or at least large
portions of it habitable.

18. Moon It is also frequently discussed as a target for colonization. It

has the benefits of close proximity to Earth and lower grav-
ity, allowing for easier exchange of goods and services.
A major drawback of it is its low abundance of volatiles
necessary for life such as hydrogen and carbon.

19. Europa The Artemis Project designed a plan to colonize this

Jupiter's moon

20. space habitat a space station which is intended as a permanent settle-

ment rather than as a simple waystation or other special-
ized facility.

21. Spaceship similar to a space habitat, except with major propulsion

capabilities and independent power generation

22. Generation ship

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 GR 2021 - Science 02 - Space Colonization Terms and Method
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§ hypothetical starship that would travel much slower than
light between stars, with the crew going through multiple
generations before the journey is complete

23. Sleeper ship hypothetical spaceship in which most or all of the crew
spend the journey in some form of hibernation or suspend-
ed animation

24. Embryo carrying hypothetical starship much smaller than a generation ship
Interstellar Star- or sleeper ship transporting human embryos in a frozen
ship (EIS) state to an exoplanet

25. CFCs A huge payload of this — derived from soil and air and
manufactured in factories which would suck up the power
equivalent of a large nuclear power plant — would be
delivered to Mars and released into the atmosphere to
trap more heat from the sun to the point where surface
temperatures would rise by some 4 degrees Celsius

26. thermonuclear The method proposed to melt ice in Mars to release

bombs trapped CO2 and methane to warm up the planet

27. space mirrors The terraforming method proposed to focus massive solar
energy onto the polar regions of Mars. An orbiting array
of reflective balloons focuses sunlight onto the surface
of Mars, providing extra heat and solar power for human
colonists

28. Spray paint the albedo reduction method to make Mars less reflective
surface of the
planet

29. Kepler-186f A newly discovered planet nicknamed "Earth's cousin",

490 light-years from Earth. The first Earth-size planet
found in the habitable zone of its star. Only about 10
percent larger than Earth, Kepler-186f is the closest planet
to Earth in size ever found in the habitable zone of its star.

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