Lifeboat Foundation

Space colonization requires us to better understand how Earth sustains us.

In the coming decades, space agencies from around the world will be venturing farther out into space than ever before. This includes returning to the Moon (perhaps to stay this time), exploring Mars, and maybe even establishing human settlements on both. Beyond that, there are even proposals for establishing habitats in space that could accommodate millions. These plans build on decades of planning that go back to the dawn of the Space Age. In some cases, the plans are inspired by proposals made over half a century prior to that. While these grand visions for space exploration and colonization present many challenges, they also inspire innovative solutions. In particular, missions to deep-space require fresh thinking about environmental control and life-support systems (ECLSS) that can provide self-sufficiency in terms of air, water, food, and protection from radiation and the dangers of space. These are essential since missions that take astronauts far from Earth cannot depend upon resupply missions from the surface to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Continue reading “Taking Earth with us: Is space exploration ‘sustainable’?” »

[Billy] has a special interest in passive hydroponics (also known as the Kratky method), which is a way of growing plants in nutrient-rich water that does not circulate. As the plant grows and liquid level drops, only the tips of the roots remain submerged while more and more of the root surface is exposed to oxygen in a harmonious balance. However, “thirsty” plant types (tomatoes, for example) throw off this balance, and the system needs to be modified. To address this, [Billy] designed and printed a passive float valve system that takes care of topping up the reservoir only when needed, without using pumps or any other electrical equipment.

Commercial or industrial float valves are too big to use in his small tanks, which led [Billy] to test dozens of DIY designs. He used everything from plastic water bottles to pipe ends, but nothing quite measured up. With 3D printing, [Billy] was able to create a sealed, lightweight float that exactly matched the housing and tube locations.

Continue reading “DIY Float Valve For Passive Hydroponics Leverages 3D Printing” »

We can summarize this as:

Price = Demand / Supply.

When there is more demand or less supply, the price goes up. When there is less demand or more supply, the price goes down. This is basic economics.

Documents show plans for an R&D facility with employee housing.

There is a whole range of possibilities when it comes to prefabricated modular housing—some might be as simple as a prefab cabin in the woods or a home office in the backyard; others are designed as stackable and programmable smart homes, perhaps strong enough to withstand natural disasters or for seniors looking to age in place affordably.

Whatever it may be, the prefab industry continues to evolve. Singapore-based Nestron is yet another contender in this ever-expanding field, now offering the Nestron Cube Two X (C2X). This rather futuristic-looking smart living pod measures a relatively generous 377 square feet (35 square meters)—a sizable increase in floor area compared to the company’s 280-square-foot (26-square-meter) Cube Two of the same series, which was launched back in 2020, and is designed for three to four inhabitants. Additionally, the Cube Two X comes in two versions: either a one-bedroom or two-bedroom unit with different floor layouts within the same footprint.

Similar to the preceding Cube Two, the 18,000-pound (8,000-kilogram) Cube Two X sports an ultra-sleek exterior that features an insulated, FRP-paneled, galvanized steel frame, which the company says was designed to weather out natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, and typhoons. However, the company notes that further fortifications can be done for clients looking for something even more resistant.

U.S. startup Geoship have created ‘dome homes’ which last up to 500 years and are resistant to fire, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes.

Made of earth-friendly bioceramic, Geoship’s geodesic domes envision a new future for humanity.

Although no images of the built domes have been released yet, Geoship has shared these renders of what the dwellings could look like.

When the koala fur trade began during the late 19th century, as many as 10 million koalas are thought to have existed in Australia. Since then, they have declined to a fraction of their historic range and numbers. Between 2000 and 2016, the states of Queensland and New South Wales bulldozed at least 885,000 hectares of forest and bushland that provided habitat for koalas, based on analyses of vegetation loss derived from satellite imagery.

Having previously classified the animal as “Least Concern” on its Red List, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) uplisted the koala to “Vulnerable” in 2016. A report by the WWF in 2017 found a 53% decline per generation in Queensland and a 26% decline in New South Wales.

Estimates of their exact numbers vary considerably, but the Australian government has just published a new detailed analysis, showing the rapid and ongoing decline of koala populations in Eastern Australia. Following the disastrous wildfires of 2019–2020, they have now dipped below 100,000 to approximately 92,000 and are projected to fall by another third in this region during the next decade, possibly reaching 63,000 by 2032.

This Williamsburg, Virginia home has concrete walls laid down by a 3D printer dramatically reducing costs and the time to construct.

There are more than 400,000 fewer affordable homes available for sale for households that earn $75,000 to $100,000, compared to the start of the pandemic.