Vita Genuit in Statera Oxygen Technology

Photo Documentation of Vita Genuit in Statera Oxygen Technology

Oxygen Technology Pg.1Oxygen Technology Pg.2Oxygen Technology Pg.3Oxygen Technology Pg.4Oxygen Technology Pg.5Oxygen Technology Pg.6**Digital Documentation of Vita Genuit in Statera Wind Energy**

*The following digital version has been formatted from its original version.*

**Department of Science & Energy Published May 10, 2022**

# Oxygen Technology

A brief report and delineation of the current technology for producing O2 on Gliese 581c and an overview on the construction of habitable structures.

## Introduction

For us humans, our respiratory system is quintessential for facilitating gas exchange within our lungs and delivering oxygen to every cell in our body in order to fuel our living processes. Due to this function being the cornerstone of human life, in the past decade there has been a rampant increase in government funding for scientific innovation which has given rise to groundbreaking discoveries which has enabled us to produce the first working prototype of a sustainable, compact, and potentially affordable Oxygenator technology and Atmospheric Regulator Tanks (ARTs) which allows us to extract a significant amount of oxygen through electrolysis and transforming it into breathable oxygen.

### Atmosphere of Gliese 581c

The understanding of the atmospheric composition of Gliese 581c was vital to our breakthroughs for the Oxygenator technology. Although we ultimately extracted oxygen from water, in earlier phases we experimented on extracting oxygen from carbon dioxide, and while it may have proven unfruitful in terms of tangible results, the findings greatly elevated our understanding of the limitations and considerations for developing technologies designed to sustain human life.

Using a spectroscopy and various other instrumentation and methodologies, we analyzed the atmospheric composition of Gliese 581c and the results are as follows;

The implications of this data was paramount to our success, and synthesizing it with our knowledge of atmospheric pressures and temperatures, we were able to estimate the amount of oxygen needed to support a civilization which allowed us to infer the feasibility and costs of the project which would determine the logistics and labor which, on a planet where oxygen is not readily available, is indispensable.

Furthermore, because of a scarcity of oxygen, policies to limit recreational activities that consume high amounts of oxygen in addition to a system to prioritize oxygen to citizens and workers who need it most, is underway. This puts into perspective how we’ve taken for granted the abundance of breathable oxygen on Earth.

### Water to Breathable Oxygen

Firstly, because our supply of bulk water would come from Lactus Vitae Magan, and not the rivers, we would have initial steps for purifying and filtering the water before we begin electrolysis. By using reverse osmosis, we would create clean fresh water and then we would use electrolysis to split H2O to its components, two hydrogens and one oxygen. We do this by running direct current through the water and therefore catalyzing an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction.

While directly using fresh water from the rivers would be auspicious and eliminate the first step, unfortunately there isn’t enough concentrated volume for the Oxygenator to consume. Additionally, it has been determined that in order to preserve the natural environment, rivers should, as much as possible, remain intact in their original state, and if it were to be used to generate oxygen, serious terraforming of the surrounding area would be required.

The process of electrolysis has already been known to humankind as it has been used in every trident nuclear submarine for decades, however, the main barrier to scaling it up was energy. Electrolysis requires an exponential amount of energy to function which is why it originally wasn't seen as a viable source. However, in recent years, breakthroughs for energy efficiency and conduction technology have increased ten-fold which has allowed complicated and energy-intensive processes like electrolysis to be scaled up. The Oxygenator is a device which combines several advanced technologies to perform reverse osmosis, electrolysis, and the rerouting of hydrogen and oxygen to separate chambers to either be stored or dispensed in controlled, regulated spaces.

Alternatively, scientists have attempted to use artificial membranes to filter dissolved oxygen from water, however, a major hurdle was encountered when scaling this technology up because of the amount of water that would need to be passed through the membranes in order to produce enough oxygen to support human life. Because we are thermoregulators (warm-blooded organisms) we require much more oxygen than thermoconformers (cold-blooded organisms). Therefore while the technology could theoretically function and act like artificial gills, in practice it would be too costly and require unsustainable amounts of energy.

### Geodesic Dome Structures

In addition to developing technology,   architecture on forign planets has also been thoroughly discussed and researched amongst the science community and among the slew of idiosyncratic designs, the Geodesic Dome is noteworthy. This structure, which could be constructed to reach a staggering height of 4 stories and have a diameter of 100 meters, would comfortably support nearly 250~580 people and would provide residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial uses. Most likely dozens of these domes would be constructed varying in sizes to accommodate a variety of purposes, but all equally integral to the function of the collective society.

The peculiar architecture of the dome is its defining feature which is, geometrically speaking, a hemispherical lattice-shell structure which is quite resilient to harsh, windy conditions and has proven to be a preferable shape to live in. It would have hundreds of triangle-shaped panels most of which would be a sturdy, tempered glass which is designed to withstand the pressures of hurricanes while also serving as natural light. However, the glass panels would have multiple tints and other forms of radiation repelling films for the inhabitants’ protection. In addition to glass panels, depending on the location, it could be conducive to install solar panels instead of glass to further shield the inside from the sun’s radiation as well as provide energy to power the dome.

These structures would be thriving environments as the pressures and oxygen levels inside the dome would be regulated to replicate Earth’s atmosphere, therefore, oxygen masks and suits would not be necessary.

However, because of the mass of these structures, dozens of Oxygenators, ARTs, airlocks, and oxygen storage cells would have to be installed in and around the dome in order to provide adequate living conditions to every square foot.

While the structure has been constructed and tested on a smaller scale, it is yet to be fabricated on a magnitude required to support hundreds of people, however, theoretically it will function if a constant and reliable flow of high-voltage energy is supplied. Adding to that, proper inspections and adjustments would be performed periodically as well as the installment of back-up generators in cases of a power out.

Within these domes, houses and buildings that geometrically match the dome would be constructed to house the residents and support a quotidian lifestyle. Moreover, tunnels connecting these structures would be constructed to form an interconnected network of domes which would reduce the need of external transportation and increase cross collaboration between people inhabiting different domes.

### Rovers

Additionally, potential long-journey rovers are in the works which would use modified power cells and bleeding-edge batteries and motors. However, dealing with unexplored terrain and harsh wind conditions of Gliese 581c still poses technical barriers yet to be overcome.

Working prototypes have only been developed in controlled conditions, they have not been field tested and are yet to pass the inspection phases. However, researchers working on it say the technology seems promising and they are also in the midst of designing high occupancy vehicles which could potentially transport dozens of people at a time.

### Conclusion

All in all, the technology for sustaining human life and supporting vital functions have progressed to a point where they are practical and sustainable for our needs and succeeding generations. However, the costs for building the initial infrastructure is high. If we were to scale this technology to sustain the projected civilization growth, it would require substantial government funding and various organizations working in both the public and private sector for our plans to come to fruition. But if deliberate thought would be put into the allocation of those funds, and public opinion would allow it, the start-up cost would significantly outweigh the short-term drawbacks, and would solidify the oxygen industry and decrease the future costs for expansion.