In 1975, a group of scientists led by Professor Gerard O'Neill at NASA's Ames Research Center conducted 10 weeks of research to develop ideas for future human space colonies.
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| According to CNN, the results and research papers were sent to two artists Rick Guidice and Don Davis to sketch the above ideas. |
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| O'Neill's team developed three potential designs for future space stations: the Bernal Sphere, the Torus Settlement (pictured above), and the Cylindrical Settlement. The space stations would accommodate between 10,000 and 1,000,000 people. They would be able to rotate to create artificial gravity. |
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| The cylindrical settlement, the largest of O'Neill's ideas, had large windows that allowed sunlight to shine down onto the landscape within. |
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| The Bernal sphere is about 500 meters wide. People live on the curved surface like a "glass palace", and they can cultivate crops on it. Light reflects through windows near the poles. |
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| O'Neill believes that, with the development of technology, the process of building a space settlement could begin as early as 1990. His team calculated the potential costs of construction and travel, even the number of pets each space station could accommodate. |
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| This drawing of the interior of the Bernal Sphere by artist Rick Guidice shows the giant solar panels that power the space settlement. |
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| An exterior view of the Torus Settlement, including a giant tilted mirror that provides sunlight to the inner surface of the circle where the humans live. |
According to VNE
