The earth’s biosphere has had a couple of billion years to adapt and survive the countless natural phenomena.
But, it’s still unprepared for the artificial phenomena mankind has brought in the last centuries. These are today’s global challenges like pollution, global warming, industrial and domestic waste, natural resources consumption rate, etc.
They should pose no challenge for an intelligent race that acts as a super-organism.

Global challenges

The negative environmental effects, such as those enumerated above, have one common cause: the human desire for comfort. This is a part of the human nature for the foreseeable future, because any living being will strive for a better life.
The destination model for an evolved race has some known features: ability to adapt, ability to evolve, act as a single will when necessary, think like a single mind for a common concern, cope with its environment but keep the balance between nature, needs and interests.
First steps towards such a super-organism are already taken: tight global communication and the global sharing of ideas/thoughts. The next predictable steps are global standard education and global awareness of humanity’s problems.
Our global challenges are , in fact, correctly performing these positive evolutionary steps up to the point where taking care of the planet and its inhabitants is taking care of our personal home.

Space jump

One would think that the next step in human evolution is space exploration and colonization.
While this step seen reasonable, the annotation “next” may not get entirely accurate.
In the first stage of the colonization of even our own solar system, we must provide a home base to return to, or to get help from, in the vast majority of cases where far away missions will serve rather to learn than to be successful.
What if our next step is a close by space jump meant to safeguard our home base, i.e. to help save Earth’s biosphere?
Some ambitious initial targets would be e.g. moving 15% of the equivalent electrical energy produced on the surface and 10% of metal processing heavy industry into outer space, near the planet. Combined with the green economy ongoing plan, this will see significant percentage reduction in thermal dissipation and in industrial waste over a much shorter period of time.

Principle of local conservation

The wonder of life on Earth was predetermined by a series of cosmic and geological factors such as: the shape of the planet’s orbit, its rotation period, its revolving speed, the tilt angle, the temperature of the core and of the Earth’s crust, the size and composition of its atmosphere, the orientation of the magnetic poles and the strength of the electromagnetic shielding, and so on.
It is expected that, for the next couple of thousands years or more, the human race won’t control the complexity of the previously mentioned factors.
So, the following principle of local mass and energy conservation may apply:
The total mass of the planet and of its orbiting bodies, and the thermal energy absorbed by the planet and its atmosphere must be kept constant, as in their naturally occurring values.
Among other things, this implies that we don’t bring space bodies from outside of the gravitational field of Earth but rather use those already caught in it, and we don’t augment the thermal dissipation on the planet’s surface with the energy produced in outer space but rather replace part of the ground production with the latter.
In this context, all the plans to make the environment healthier and green remain very much valid.

Project Zenyth

At the beginning of the 3rd millennium, the human kind set out to build three space stations revolving around the Earth. Assembled from previously launched space vehicles, they are a precursor to the industrial ring that will provide the top-level planetary production in the 4th millennium.
The stations are 120 degrees apart from one other, and describe an equatorial orbit of 8 hrs from west to east. This gives a positional speed twice of the revolving speed of Earth’s surface, i.e. less than 1 km/s.
The round-trip of the electromagnetic signal between earth and a space station is below 0.1 s, which makes quasi-realtime operations with the station possible.
Two space stations have the role of delivering supplemental energy to the planet, and the other copes with space mining and space facility building. Each station is able to produce energy and has robotic machinery at least at a base level.
The stations have very small onboard crews commissioned on a two-year period with approved individual shore leaves. The vast majority of operations are performed by telepresence by a large number of domain specialized personnel based on earth. The telepresence is the process of connecting the human sensorial and volitional inputs and outputs to a combination of actuators, robotics, an AI assisted operations, within a frame of a fast perceived feedback and an automated micro-time control.
Even from the early stages, the communication, the coordination, and the collaboration between the three space stations are both desirable and required.

Artemis

Built by the Pacific Partnership which includes among others, USA, Japan, Korea and Australia, this space station transfers solar energy to the Earth using the red laser technology.
By employing a series of concave mirrors and light concentrators, the station delivers several focused beams, which reach the Earth’s atmosphere with a radius below 100 m AND an infrared intensity up to 30 times the solar radiation. The beams are intermittent, with an on time of 0.3 s and an off time of 0.2 s.
Between tropics, scattered all around the globe, near the shore or on the ground, are almost 200 solar plants ready to receive and utilize the concentrated light beams. A solar plant is a field of adjustable focalizing mirrors with a support layer of solar panels beneath that is spread on a 1.732 x 1.0 square km area from west to east.
Depending on the atmospheric conditions, the space station chooses and gets in sync with a solar plant, and starts sending the beam bursts for about 5 minutes, when the longitudinal azimuth deviation remains under 1.5 degrees. Any perturbation on the send path or at receiving site cuts off the emission.
The receiving mirror system is able to focus the beams to several vertical metallic-ceramic heat accumulators, or in the optimal case, to a single focus point, which can act as a micro-nuclear reaction enabler. The plant uses the heat to decompose the water in oxygen and hydrogen, the last being collected and slowly liquefied with micro-pumps into small tubular glass-fiber cells. Each plant has a support array of electrical accumulators for operation and maintenance.
It also has 24/7 remote control and monitoring, and a third-party can load an amount of hydrogen from the plant, after receiving an unlock code from the energy provider.

Synopsis

After three hours of travel, the passengers of the regular morning flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg are awakened by a voice: “Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and sorry for the inconvenience. We are over the north-eastern cost of Brazil, but will make a small detour of half an hour because a solar plant below is just commencing its receiving activity. Please connect to your VR displays if you want to enjoy the show. This is the captain, thank you. ”
They can see through their VR sets something that looks like a lotus flower taken from far away. In a few moments, the lotus brightens its red petals that extend now like rays over a long distance, signaling the start of the intense activity of the solar plant. Suddenly, a red vertical lightening strikes through the skies directly to the plant and carries on making the sky red and the plant gone from sight. After a while, the eyes are becoming accustomed with what seems now a laser bombardment from an alien ship. Several long minutes pass, the bursts stop as sudden as they have started, and the small lotus appears unshattered, to the much dismay of the viewers.
“How can they make sure not hitting an airplane or, even worse, a house on the coast?? ” said a young lady, thinking aloud. “Dear miss” replied a gentleman upfront, “scientists developed for the space-station, what’s called a logarithmic gun whose shape allows a precision of 100 m beam landing radius, the same as if one used a 1 cm reflective pipe of 1.4 km length. ”
Captain’s voice is heard again: “Folks, my second notice that we can witness a very rare phenomenon: the vertical rainbow. We will descend 3000 feet at the cloud level and the windows of the plane will clear for outside view. ”
The last traces of sleep are gone from the faces of the kids and grownups as they rush to the right side of the plane to look on the window.
As the plane goes on steady in its voyage over the Atlantic, at the far rear, it seems that someone has painted a colorful strip on a wall in the sky, shining down in light purple, yellowish orange, and pale red.

Lyna

Built by the Pan-Asian Convention, which includes among others China, India, Russia and Iran, it uses the microwave technology to convert and transmit the solar energy to hovering receivers in the Earth stratosphere. The station converts high energy solar radiation into electricity, and then emits focused microwave bursts to targets in the lower stratosphere.
These are large ellipsoidal balloons of 1.2 km x 0.6 km axes size, capable to easy reach and maintain above-clouds altitudes.
Built from textile fibber impregnated with fireproof natural rubber, a balloon has over 90% hot air chambers and a small number of helium chambers, so that, when the air is cooled, the balloon slowly descends to the ground.
In the nacelle there are electrical accumulators and circuitry that produce small high-voltage discharges that keep the air hot and slowly ionize it.
On the upper side of the balloon is a mix of microwave receivers and solar panels. The receivers directly convert the microwave bursts from the space station into high-voltage discharges, greatly increasing the ionizing rate.
The efficiency of the discharges may be increased by making them inside small cells where the air passed pressurized several atmospheres.
From the almost 150 energy balloons, a third of them that are fully charged are landed and brought to the nearest city, where they act as a huge battery by gradually converting the gas ionization into electricity, using an elaborated energy converter in the nacelle. A third-party may retrieve the balloon, but the electricity can be accessed after receiving an unlock code from the energy provider.
Each balloon has an always-on transponder which sends its precise location and realtime stats.
 

Synopsis

The sun is rising above one of the southern ports of Okinawa, where the crews of two small frigates swiftly prepare for departure on the sea.
“Gentlemen “, says Yosh Nakamuro, captain of one of the two ships , “today will go hunting an e-whale, also known as an energy balloon. If we succeed, you will have less financial worries for the next three months. ”
One hour later, at the northern coast of Philippines, twelve electric fishing ships embark for the same mission. With the wind gently blowing from the south in their additional sails, they are confident of reaching until evening the balloon landing point in the Pacific, twice as close as from their Japanese counterparts.
The day is closing to sunset, when the Filipino sailors start to see at a big distance the large behemoth slowly coming down from the air. The Japanese are almost 20 minutes behind, but Captain Nakamura communicates to the other frigate: “Our radar shows that this balloon is “landing with 10 m/s, twice as usual. This will create a splash wave 5 meters high on a 3 km radius. I recommend slowing down and aligning the ships for the impact ”
Five of the fishing ships are caught too close by the small tsunami and get damaged, forcing the other seven to render assistance. Closing from the opposite direction, the first frigate launches the traction and data cable guided by a coupling torpedo. As soon as the cable is coupled to the balloon’s nacelle, they enter a retrieval code and the balloon becomes definitive custody of the crew.
Now begins the challenging way back home, where, after a short ceremony, they will transfer the custody of the balloon to the local authorities.

Hera

Built by the Mediterranean Economic Forum, which includes among others EU, UK, the Arab League and the African Confederation for Progress, the station uses advanced robotics technology for spacecraft and aircraft construction and for mining nearby space bodies like asteroids or meteorites.
It ships certain rare minerals and metals to the planet through the freshly built stratospheric planes, and receives retro-engine fuel for its close by space missions.
The majority of the space missions are bringing the small mining fragments in a synchronous orbit to the Earth, preferably close to that of the station.
The farther the space body is from the Earth, the lesser retro-engine power is required to deviate it from its trajectory.
The space station accepts building and mining orders from a third-party based on commercial contracts.
 

Synopsis

It looks like a quiet and clear nightfall in the northern hemisphere, but up in the sky, the station is running a fast paced activity. A small ship launches from the station, and quickly begins a descending orbital trajectory towards the atmosphere. It has six rhombus-shaped shields facing the three orthogonal directions, coupled with six retro-engines beneath each shield.
Upon entering the atmosphere, the silver ship turns red because of the friction heat, when, quite surprisingly, it gradually transforms its shape to a V-wing supersonic airplane that swiftly carries on to its destination.
On the ground, in the welcoming city of Abu Dhabi, a team of European scientists and local representatives carefully supervises the arrival of the self-pilots stratospheric plane.
A round of applauses is heard in the reception hall of the flight coordination agency, when the press comes in an prepares to interview the visiting and local teams.
“Professor Kroner”, says Kim Min Hae, one of the reporters, “Congratulations for the success of your aero-spatial industry accomplishment. But our astronomical observers have discovered a space dock building startup 50 km east from the space station. Care to comment on this subject? “.
After a short smile, Professor Peter Kroner replies: “It is a joint effort of the American, the Asian, and the European space agencies. It is in its early stage because we are still monitoring the progress of the fusion drive, electromagnetic shielding, and poly-alloy armor technologies. “. The reporter adds: “We heard that a designation and a name are already chosen for the first ship build there. “, and the scientific Team leader : responds: “She doesn’t have an official name yet, but our international colleagues and us like to call her: Enterprise. “.

Connected to the future

It’s a sunny afternoon in the perpetual city of Mumbai, India, where the students of the second grade of the Central High-School prepare for the two hours astronomy class. “Today we will pay a visit to the space station our country is a part of. Please put on the VR suits and join the virtual visiting group. “, says the teacher.
In a few moments the landscape changes, and, in a large cabin full of monitors, they are met by a cheerful middle-aged man dressed in a ceremony uniform. “Good afternoon kids. I am Commander Alexey Markov, and, on behalf of Captain Lee Po Fang, I welcome you to our international space station. In the first part of your visit, you will enjoy the famous balloon monitoring panorama, where you can see our energy balloons colored from white for those freshly lifted to Intense orange for those fully charged, and even blue for those few that are descending. In the last part, those of you that opted in, will take a space walk with our chief engineer and a member of his team to the mobile space arm on the docking platform of the station. Just remember a simple rule for any future cosmonaut: in space there is no upside-down. As a homework, I give you the easy task of computing the total mass for a spherical air bubble of 300 m radius, given the nominal air density of 1.204 kg per cubic meter, and, 0.5236 as the volume ratio between a sphere and a cube of the same size. For those of you that come upon the right answer, fear not my children: as per the Archimedes’s law, in the atmosphere, our flying bubble is light like a bird. “.
As the amazing astronomy class finishes, for some of the students, this will mark a decisive turn in their future career of becoming international specialists in the spatial operations of the human race.