Colonizing Ceres

Today we'll look at colonizing Ceres and asteroid mining, farming in space, and a potential distant future of a developed asteroid belt.

Listen or Download the audio of this episode from Soundcloud: Episode's Audio-only version:

Credits:
Outward Bound: Colonizing Ceres
141 Season 4 Episode 26

Writers
Isaac Arthur

Editors
A.T. Long
Derek Hightower
Evan Schultheis
Jerry Guern
Keith Blockus
Mark Warburton
Oliver Epsom
Sigmund Kopperud
Stuart Graham

Producer:
Isaac Arthur

Cover Artist:

Graphics Team:
Jarred Eagley
Jeremy Jozwik
Justin Dixon
Ken York
Kristijan Tavcar
Sam MacNamara

Narrator:
Isaac Arthur

Music Manager:

Music:

[martintrobo]

"There are no laws in Ceres, just cops." Joe Miller.

[mervjohnson]

I'd really love it if you did an episode on "second skin" style space suits. Seeing the miner character sit in that small ship's cabin I couldn't help but think how that might not be so bad with a good space suit. His helmet is his computer and home entertainment system, he could lay in bunk doing just about anything online with his visor (considering light lag). Bathroom's are scaled down if the suit could handle hygiene too. It might literally be a case of plugging in some tubes into the wall while in his bunk and the suit recharges and cycles life support while he sleeps. It might not be luxurious, but it'd be cozy and personal and practical.

[mervjohnson]

I love your "slice of life" style episodes like this. The mundane hum-drum of how an out of town guy gets by, IN

[captainzenbi]

One thing I have always appreciated is that you don't just talk the science, but in small ways you inject the social aspects of humanity.

[JustinMakesVideos]

Maybe the Astroid belt might be a little bit like the Caribbean. Wealthy people who always dreamed about owning their own planet would be able to own their own little astroid. Maybe terraforming their asteroid, rounding them out, planting a flag and naming them. Also, like the colonial Caribbean there might be some issues with criminality and secessionists at that distance from larger settlements and authorities.

[AvyScottandFlower]

Outward Bound: Isaac Becomes A Space Pirate

[HistoryTime]

Fantastic. Thanks for this, Isaac. Ceres features heavily in a novella I'm writing so this is really useful stuff.

[francoislacombe]

If you can't fix it with duct tape, you're not using enough duct tape.

[SeraSmiles]

I feel like you're getting more comfortable telling stories in your videos. I love this style of lecture, huge props Arthur!

[timothymclean]

Isaac, you really knocked it out of the park with this one. You always give these "how humans might live in X" videos a human edge to the cold, hard realities of space, but this feels less like a mere framing device and more like a rough outline for a hard sci-fi novella. Add some names and other details, flesh out the narrative a bit, and there you go.

P.S. Big Fettling Gun...I need to remember that one.

[Shenaldrac]

I wish there was a video game like this. Running a small mining company, scouting for claims, minding your ship and crew, etc. Seems like it could be really fun and wouldn't be the kind of setting often visited in video games.

[hafor]

Ceres was once covered in ice.
Enough water for thousand generations. Until Earth and Mars stripped it away for themselves.
This station became the most vital port in the Belt.
But the immense ressources and wealth that flow through our gates? They were never meant for us.
We Belters toil and suffer. Without hope and without end.
AND FOR WHAT?

[realzachfluke]

Ceres is undoubtedly one of the absolute COOLEST Solar System bodies, period. It’s just so beautiful and mysterious. I hope we develop our tech enough to one day land people on this world, and another day to have a manned base on Ceres. Thanks for helping to quench us Ceres fans’ thirst, Isaac :~]

[cannonfodder]

I always enjoyed your "Slice of Life" stories. Exploring the future through such a relatable human experience always gets my imagination running. Makes me hopeful for the future.

Another fantastic episode.

[Crowbars]

This is probably my favourite SFIA episode ever. I love the story and worldbuilding in just a 30 min video, it's like you're reading an excerpt of a sci-fi novel who's technology actually makes sense in the real world.

[teknicalmage]

"Beucase there is gold in them there asteroids" I need that on a T shirt

[puppetgrimm]

Great episode reminds me of Titan and how you could use the nitrogen and hydrocarbons to create fertilizer to sell to other colonies, fuel and who knows what else. If more people see what a great economy we could have throughout the solar system they may be more likely to spend to get us there. good job!

[ArchAngelThomas]

I just started Revelation Space. I'm about 80 pages in and loving it so far. Thanks for the recommendation!

[mazelme]

4th of July... Then strait into Arthursday... Its like two holidays in a row!!

[brandonhanson]

Isaac you are the single most impotant space fact and imaginative adventures on space colonization I’ve ever seen. If your still doing these 20 years down the road you have my business. YOU ARE AMAZING. PLEASE keep this up it keeps me out of dark places. You save more people on space stuff then you’d believe. Thankyou