Kurt Koehler
Comm 101 1:30-2:50
Preparation Outline

The Potential of Space Colonies

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about both what a space colony would be, and the potential upsides and downsides to space colonies.
Thesis Statement: I want everyone in audience to know that practical space colony is a free-space settlement and there are several potential advantages and disadvantages to building one.
Introduction

I. Excitement filled the group as they caught their first glimpse of the new space colony, Orion. The wheel shaped structure spun serenely, a vast city in the midst of space. Faces pressed against their windows the passengers could hardly wait to disembark. Finally, the moment arrived and they were shuttled into a vast corridor and they saw the celestial city for the first time.

. This scenario may seem to come from far in the future, but in light of the construction of the International Space Station it seems appropriate to consider the future of such structures in space.
. Possible Public support: Over the past decade support for the notion that the benefits of the space program outweigh its cost has risen from 41% in 1994 to 55% in 1999. (Gallop 111).

I. Today, I will be talking to you about the potential of space colonies, both positive and negative.
I. First, I will discus what a space colony would be. Second, I will explain the positive aspects of colonies such as alternative power sources and tourism. Third, I will discus the negative potential of space colonies such as cost, and size.

Body

I. The definition of a practical space colony
. A large group of people living either semi-independently or independently of Earth in space.
. Referring more to free space or floating colonies than planetary ones.
. Escaping the Earth's gravity the largest cost (in fuel costs)
. Other planets have the same gravity disadvantage
. Thus planetary colonies unlikely
(Transition: Now that you understand what a space colony is let's look at the advantages to having one.)


I. The potential advantages of having Space Colonies
. Insurance against destruction
0. A second world allows for the continuation of the human race outside of Earth
. Exploration
0. A space colony would be a good base for future exploration

. Industry
0. A low gravity environment would allow for the manufacture of new kinds of products.
2. Already space travel is either directly or indirectly responsible for the creation of several industries such as telecommunications (satellites, etc)
0. Base for mining asteroids and other celestial bodies

. Control of Environment
0. No hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.


. Peaceful Environment

0. The opportunity to start over and create a new society
0. The colonists will be too busy working on surviving to fight each other.
F. Eventually could help the population problem
1. If the colonies grow large enough could provide a way to spread the population out and create more resources to support it.


(Transition: While there are many advantages to having space colonies there are also disadvantages)

I. The disadvantages of Space Colonies
. Cost
1. The international Space station has cost 96 billion dollars (Kluger 1)
. Only two football fields vs. an enormous space colony.
2. $10,000 per Ib payload to launch (Schonfeld 1).
a.Would not be independent for years after built.
0. Is this worth spending money on?

. Size
0. Technical difficult of building anything large in space with limited crew
. Space shuttle only seats about 10
2. Resulting structure would be either too small to hold many people or very overcrowded.
. Physical Isolation
0. Who would want to be physically isolated from the rest of the world for a long period of time.
a. psychological effects
0. Small malfunctions could become life and death matters.
0. Space junk
. Odds of large rock hitting once every 250,000,000 years but does not account for space junk. (Heppenheimer 157).

Conclusion

I. Thus with free space colonies being the most probable type colony to be built, building a space colony could be advantageous in the areas of becoming a multi-world species, encouraging exploration, building new industries and gaining access to more resources, having a predictable controlled and peaceful environment, and easing the population problem on Earth, while having the disadvantages of their enormous cost, limited size, and their physical isolation from Earth.

II. Space colonies may still be the stuff of the far off future, however by having examined the practical space colony and the potential advantages and disadvantages to building one there is a better chance that in the future the correct decisions will be made regarding space colonies.