Amazon Founder’s Space Ventures
Jeff Bezos is best known as the man who created the e-commerce giant Amazon, working from the confinement of his garage in Bellevue, Washington, almost three decades ago.
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Since then, he’s become one of the richest men on the planet and has started several other ventures, the most notable of which is his space program, Blue Origin.
The Beginning of Blue Origin
The beginning of Bezos’ space venture stretches back to 2000 when he founded the spaceflight company Blue Origin.
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In the two decades that followed, the engineers made steady progress, including the creation of their New Shepard vehicle, which took four people to space this past July.
Bezos's Vision for Humanity in Space
Bezos’s vision, however, transcends the mere act of sending astronauts into space. Instead, he envisions a future where billions of people will take up permanent residence in the stars.
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During an interview with Lex Fridman in 2023, he said, “I would love to see a trillion humans living in the solar system. If we had a trillion humans, we would have, at any given time, 1,000 Mozarts and 1,000 Einsteins.”
How to Achieve the Dream
In order to accomplish this dream, Bezo reveals that humanity wouldn’t colonize Mars or other planets. “The planetary surfaces are just way too small” to fit everyone, Bezos told Fridman.
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Instead, they would populate enormous space stations throughout the solar system.
The Reasoning Behind Bezos' Vision
According to Bezos, colonizing the solar system could usher in an era of exponential growth for our civilization while preserving the delicate balance of our home planet.
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While many have called his vision ludicrous, several experts recently joined Business Insider to discuss the billionaire’s plan and whether or not any part of it is feasible.
Humanity Living in O’Neill Cylinders
In Bezos’ vision, humanity is living within enormous space stations referred to as O’Neill cylinders, named in honor of the physicist Gerard K. O’Neill, who proposed the concept in the 1970s.
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According to Anthony Longman, an independent architect who previously designed concepts for space habitats, “The vision of Gerard K. O’Neill is inspiring, but it’s absolutely humongous.”
Humans Won’t Be Living in O’Neill Cylinders Anytime Soon
The concept proposed by O’Neill could easily accommodate upwards of several million people. They would be equipped with natural ecosystems, several large bodies of water, and even their own artificial water.
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“I’m not saying they won’t be built, but I think it will probably be some hundreds of years before we’re able to build anything at that scale,” Longman said.
The Various Challenges of Living in Space
Speaking on the challenges of trying to create colonies in outer space, Rebeca Gonçalves, an astrobiologist formerly at the European Space Agency, explained that starting with the basics, such as food and reproduction, is essential to longevity.
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“We need to develop these very safe, closed-loop, self-sustainable agricultural systems,” said the researcher.
Human Reproduction in Space
So far as human reproduction is concerned, Adam Watkins, associate professor of reproductive biology at the University of Nottingham, explained humanity isn’t even close to being ready to give birth in space.
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“Giving birth in space — you just don’t even want to contemplate the logistics and the difficulties that might be associated with that, let alone if there are any complications associated with it,” he said.
Building the Infrastructure
According to Watkins, humanity is not yet in a position to build the infrastructure that could accommodate millions, never mind billions of people in space.
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“Building those entire infrastructure communities where you’ve got those kinds of support structures in place, fully functioning, tried and tested, I think, is a very long way off,” he said.
Convincing People to Live in Space
According to Martin Rees, the United Kingdom’s Astronomer Royal, the number one problem that could hold back Bezos’s vision that many forget to account for is whether anyone actually wants to live in space.
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“I don’t think these O’Neill-type space colonies are going to be nearly as attractive to spend your life on as it is to be living on Earth with its wonderful variety,” Rees said.