Scientists have discussed the possibility of building cities that are self-sufficient on the surface of giant space rocks.
Although there are a number of issues to contend with, it could apparently still happen.
One of the biggest problems experts would first have to overcome are cosmic rays.
Martin Elvis, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, told the BBC: “Cosmic rays are high energy particles, mostly just protons or high-energy nuclei.
“They zip straight through you and do bad things to you.”
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But space boffins believe this could be counteracted by having a huge layer of water surrounding the city, which would stop the rays’ harmful effects.
Artificial gravity would also have to be created – possibly by constantly spinning the entire city structure – to counteract the health problems that come from prolonged zero gravity exposure.
It is believed an asteroid city would theoretically have an abundance of vital materials to survive.
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According to Elvis, there is plenty of water in space that can be used to create oxygen and hydrogen.
He explained: “Water is pretty common in space, as it is [made] of the most common elements in the universe.
“Water can also be broken down into oxygen and hydrogen, allowing you to breathe the oxygen.”
But it is likely that any space city would actually need to be buried under the surface of the asteroid.
This would not only provide shielding from radiation, but also stop the asteroid falling apart.
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Astronomer Alistair Reynolds explained: “A lot of what we think of as asteroids are very loosely organised rubble piles that do not have any intrinsic structural integrity – they are not giant boulders.
“They are more just huge blobs or gravel held together by their own gravity.”
This means attempts to spin the asteroid to counteract the zero gravity could also lead to disintegration.
Although experts believe a solution could be building a huge cage around the rock to hold it together.
