*Dismantles Mercury to construct additional Pylons*

Mercury:what is my purpose? Every scifi youtuber:you support resources for our mega structures Mercury:oh my god

There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and dismantling Mercury for resources.

I plan to colonize the solar system for the same reason that men climbed mountains. Because it is there.

A few decades ago, Marshall T. Savage wrote a book called "The Millennial Project: Colonizing the Universe in Eight Easy Steps." One theme was that every step had to make lots of money in order to pay for the next step. And by 'lots,' we're talking tens of billions of dollars a year from the first few colonies so that the next stage could begin almost immediately. (Because of the distribution and relative energy cost of materials, to build colonies on the moon it's much cheaper to import volatiles from the asteroid belt than from Earth. This has the practical result that by the time large Lunar colonies are developed, there will be small permanent asteroid colonies, ready to grow into large ones.)

If the other factions are preventing you from disassembling things to build a Dyson swarm, why not try it in a neighbouring star system? Could be another motivation for interstellar colonisation.

After I binge watched The expanse last week this is a perfect episode

Idea for a sci-fi setting, which I've been considering as a backstory for a boardgame: -Earth is still the largest human population centre. -Reliable lightspeed communication means realtime global communication *BUT* non-realtime communication between worlds. -The nations of Earth remain independent of one another, and are frequently at odds. -Various colony worlds have had their multinational collection of colonies merge into global governments across the planet (or moon). -These global nations have more freedom to act without realtime intervention from neighbours like Earth nations have to worry about. -Even though they're not technically as "powerful" in raw resources and manpower, Earth's internal political strife makes it less of a powerhouse than its colony worlds in practical terms.

As much as I would love to see swarms and swarms of habitats. My heart and sentiment is definitely towards terraforming Mars and Venus.... if only because those are the two planets that inspired us in our infancy to contemplate leaving our cradle. All these worlds are yours to dismantle save for these three. Attempt no factory probes here.

Humans: "looks like we need resources for another megastructure!" Mercury: "yes dear..."

SFIA, where the common topics and tropes of science fiction are examined with rigor. Going to enjoy this episode with my lunch later. 😋

Every time I watch an Isaac Arthur video, I feel a powerful urge to play Stellaris

This is making me want to boot up No Man's Sky, take off in my exotic, The Song of Sleep, and set up a new home in an unpopulated system

Happy Veterans Day, Mr. Arthur! Thank you for your service.

Historically, the two general categories (those going to create profit and those who consider expansion a good in itself) tend to go together. Those who think a given colony can generate wealth but who have no particular desire to go themselves would bankroll expeditions mostly composed of those who just wanted to go anyway. (On Earth, this has led to some odd residuals. One of the nicknames for the people of North Carolina is 'Tar Heels,' because one of the first settlements in what became North Carolina was established to produce tar for the Royal Navy as a profit-making venture. Some other commercial settlements were created to trade for furs, or to grow tobacco for the rapidly expanding tobacco trade in Europe, and so forth. The Spanish seizing territory to take huge quantities of gold and silver turned out to be such a bad idea that even now, centuries later, Spain still has residual economic problems from the inflation those imports caused.) Based on this history, it seems likely that there will be many colonies funded as investments but actually settled by people who mostly want to settle in new places as wither ultimately better economically for themselves and their descendants or because they see settling new places and building them up as good in itself.

Hey Isaac you probably won't see this message but I just want to say I love your voice I listen to it every night for the past 5 years it helps me go to sleep

the "be valueble to your colonies" idea was one I'd never thought of.

People: "Should we colonise the Moon or Mars first?" SFIA Fans: "Yes"

Just finished the Red Mars trilogy. Excellent timing to discuss solar system colonization

You want to grab some of those craters with regions that receive no sunlight that way you can run your photovoltaics on the rim and use the dark centers for less radiated habs, cooling, astronomy, ect.

Ah yeah! I can't watch this yet because I decided to start at the very beginning of the channel, but I'll make it here eventually!

I feel like there is an overemphasis of colonizing Mars because “Mars has lava tubes so we could totally use them.” My rebuttal is that we have lava tubes on our moon: a mere three days’ journey away. That is so close that of there was a problem we could potentially intervene or even evacuate

Maybe strip mining will be a blessing in disguise for Pluto with its potential to clear the neighboring region of other objects thus revoke Pluto's status as a dwarf planet. We can make Pluto great again one strip at a time!

- I've made a study of utopias: Most fail when the volunteers turn out to be merely human. Even those with loyal volunteers fail when they are not economically viable. So space colonization depends on plausible economic rationales for its funding. However, in a post-scarcity economy, economic hurdles will be easily surmounted by marketing campaigns and wanderlust. - To get a fell for this, just compare NASA's budget to what people spend on various forms of entertainment. I predict that heroes with wanderlust will volunteer to becoming the fish in the fishbowl of something like a reality show. Currently, millionaires who can afford to rent super-yachts can also afford a vacation aboard a low-gravity space station. - The needed technologies already exist but will need some boots-on-the-ground testing. I expect that will be funded as a form of international competitions politically supported by tribal psychology. The resulting outposts won't really be colonies. They will be more like military bases.

I am in the first camp that approves of space travel and colonization for its own sake, but it does need to be made more cost efficient.

I always appreciate your content Issac. Thank you for everything you do, and the level of detail you put into it!

this made me want a sci-fi with a war between dissasemblers that see the destruction of earth as a small price to pay for the amount of humans that could live in the habitats made from the earths resources, and conservationists that want to see the earth preserved

When it comes to enforcing claims of ownership, all philosophical discussion takes a step back in the face of that which deals with authority, which is very simple philosophy. The root of all authority is the ability and willingness to inflict more deadly force than whatever entity disagrees with you. This principle can be obscured by abstractions like outsourcing the the necessary ability and willingness to a selected group like police or military, but this transfer does not alter the thing. As such, whoever can build a base on any celestial object and is capable and willing to strike down any craft in route to it without being destroyed themselves, owns that object by naked fact.

I am so excited about viewing this video in its entirety.

This one was pretty good, and I think the philosophical dispute about how best to colonize the Solar System will undoubtedly rear its head, as time goes on. We've gotta figure out how to get people out there, though, in large enough numbers to get past the "early adopter" gap and into "general acceptance." That's gonna be the hard bit.

Speaking of Terminator, Skynet came up with time travel but it couldn't engineer a deadly virus to kill off those pesky humans? I call shenanigans.

I am if the mind that .... If humanity waits until space exploration and colonization is more reasonable (aka more affordable and risk-free), it may to too late by them to save humanity from the eventual, extinction event that is stalking us as we speak., And waiting to happen. The pioneers who learned if the existence of the Americas, where not expecting to find this continent here. But once that did, they saw opportunity to gain wealth and a chance at immortality in the annuls of history. But those reward came with mortal risks....and many paid that price. But many their names are now eternal.

always a pleasure to see a new video has been uploaded.

I always enjoy your videos Mr. Arthur. Keep it up! :)

Thanks for the amazing content Isaac!

11:30 @Isaac Arthur Total Respect, balancing on that razor edge. 1 Sci-Fi imbued Arty to another: could we get a "Non-lethal / Less-than-lethal to supersede firearms" episode? Factoid which might also dominate your thinking: forget to carry the one w/your azimuth charting, while the verification computer is down, could miss the alleged enemy only to slaughter a village...! What of Star Trek's panoply could turn into something real? Phasors set only to STUN ! ! !

I've never been here this early. Love your content issac!

First time I heard Isaacs voice...turned it off.. The subjects drew me to ensure. I can't sleep without his futuristic lulibi's now.

God I love Thursdays. These videos are so great

SF writers love to describe space settlements eagerly cutting ties with Earth, but Isaac proposes that a settlement might shop around for an Earth nation to seek a relationship with. There is an historical precedent: while the U.S. and most other newly-independent colonies in the New World became republics, some took a different route, inviting a member of a European royal family to become their King or Grand Duke.

I got my camping gear in tow, ready to claim an asteroid with a stable orbit. Let's go...

One of the best channels on YT

I’ve often wished mankind had rather more extensively developed deep subterranean and undersea civilization and infrastructure. Such diversity on this rock down here would seem to lessen vulnerability to local environmental flux, as well as potentially prove materials and technologies adaptable to other rocks (or rings) out there.

Great episode! Happy Veterans Day Arthur. Ready First!

Dude, I cannot get enough of your channel. Also, happy belated Veteran's Day, brother. Welcome Home.

Always fun stuff with Isaac.

I love the graphics on this channel.

Another good episode. Ty!

Great episode.

Can you please do a video about how we can send sequestered CO2 off Earth in the form of fertilizer, fuel, and building materials. This would advance both the space industry and ecological restoration of Earth as well as attract the investment of both interest groups. So much money is being directed to Direct Air Capture technology which is almost purely cost with the only benefit being the carbon removal. Biochar is a porous soil amendment that can be saturated in liquid fertilizer to make a powerful fertilizer. Methane rocket fuel can be synthesized from the air or from anaerobic digesters, which can also pair with biochar production. Biogas can also be blended with hydrogen in existing natural gas power plants. This can be a part of the solution to clean energy as well as transfer to a part of a circular economy for a space colony. The main issue is amount of carbon mass we need to offworld without emmiting more CO2 in the process. You're videos are amazing and I have been obsessing over this idea for a while now. A moon base would be the obvious refueling and agricultural center to then move to Mars and onwards. How do you think the numbers break down? How long would it take to offworld enough sequestered CO2 to make a difference to slow down global warming? 🤔

I really think O'Neill cylinders are the future. Beyond it being an inspiring goal that captures the imagination, I can't understand Elon Musk's fixation on Mars. I really think he's just using it as a proof of concept. What we really need is industry in space. Start with a moon base, then build in orbit or at Lagrange points, and then start building O'Neill cylinders. Tons of living room, no issues from microgravity, but also easy to travel from one to another, and moveable in case of a threat. They are kind of tough to beat, IMO.

For the moon's south pole. It might be an idea to send some RTG Rovers that can shave down some hills there. Leaving the best light bearing hills exposed for more light for solar panels. The regolith from these tops could be used to smoothing out surface areas for landing pad areas, roads, and to make berms at lower areas.

Its hard to fall a sleep to these videos.

I watch these more for the visuals than anything else. One thing I know for sure though, is we are heading into some of the most exciting times in history

Love your videos, thanks

Woo Hoo! We're Camp no. 1!!!

That's a good metaphor. Gotta raise that pop cap.

woohoo sooo glad to hear another RS novel has dropped, looking fwd to some relativistic space battles!

More things for the mind to play with! :)

Yo Issac is popping off! 662k subs... I remember seeing 24k :O

I hope I live to see some of this.

Happy Veterans Day Isaac. Thank you for your service.

great episode

Recently stumbled across your channel and love it! Ya know, I've always wondered what we would do if an alien race just showed up and moved into our solar system, completely ignoring us, and just start colonizing everything else out there, possibly terraforming Mars and Venus. And all we could do is watch as what we always considered our solar system becomes theirs.

First off.. I didn't know you were a veteran. Thank you for your service. You would have been the best person to serve with. I'm sure you had everyone enthralled with your ability to conversate and make those late night watches significantly less boring. 2nd? How do you get these awesome images? Are they from a videogame?

good topic

Bless Isaac

Idk if we are good or bad. But exciting stuff. What's one planet among who friggin knows how many... . Just don't kill this one. .....I live here.. love ur work.

I always questioned the inflated central space within an O'Neil Cylinder. This to synthesize "outdoors" in an enclosed habitat when humans would more easily adapt to an indoor environment, leaving most of the inner space available for external utilities such as electromagnets for magnetic field shielding and spoke-mounted sliding weights for maintaining dynamic balance with a chaotically moving human mass inside the outer cylinder.

I guess I'm in the camp that's been to excited about seeing things happen to consider most of these things..

This will be a popular video in Whitehall!

I am a newbie fan of Alastair Reynolds. May I also suggest taking a look at Adrian Tchaikovsky. Children of Time and Children of Ruin are phenomenal stories. The Doors of Eden is another mind bender. Each has some of the most original ideas I've come across in a long time. Great sci-fi for those who are looking.

11:37 that fork lift is moon walking. how fitting!

05:39 "...or stubbornly refuse to admit they are right about everything." I LOLed so hard at this. The best laugh I had all day.

Isaac, you truly have the best youtube channel, thank you for your content!

Another reason why the first couple of trips somewhere are more expensive: Since nobody has been there for any significant period of time, the sources of good materials (like mineral wealth) haven't been discovered yet. Several of the first few settlements in North America intended to cut down trees to be used as ship masts. England had been cutting down trees for centuries and there wasn't a lot of good timber left. But a few days of sailing up and down the east coast will reveal thousands of acres of rich timberland. Minerals like gold, silver, iron, and coal are tougher to find if not impossible to find without digging. The first few settlements would have a better chance of finding good spots where the next wave was more like 'settle for what's left.'

Thanks for turning my idea into an episode Isaac! You rock.

I wonder how fast interstellar travel will come after interplanetary colonization. It probably will happen right after we learn to build sustainable space habitats and able to produce everything in space, which probably will be around the time we manage to self sustaining colonies. Also around that time tension between Earth and the colonies will be the highest because they can finally be able to be independent. This might lead to people leaving the solar system.

I think a partial dyson could really solve a lot of our problems

I've never seriously considered Switzerland as a space power before, and now think it's role (if not the specific country) almost inevitable, doing exactly what it does internationally now (in popular culture at least). There was a recent study about the distancing effect on simulated colonists of being isolated and delayed communication where their interactions with Earth base decreased from hundreds of hours a week to a few tens. I can only see the continuing of this trend along with the different world view of those in space feeling connected together because of a more over-arching perspective (sort of the same thing happens in the military). I see it resulting in semi independent entities using negotiating agents and having few deep ties to Earth. I don't see the UN playing a large role as it has a largely symbolic role on Earth, maybe a local confederation of Moon bases akin to the European union? The wrinkle in that scenario is the total dependence on Earth for basic resources until the large scale industrialization of colonies. So the Expanse...of sorts...

thank - you .

Just watched a great yourtube video called grabby aliens. Anyone else see it what do you guys think? Could it be we see no aliens because we are early?? What's your view Isaac?

Great videos. Can you please make one about how to deal with the Kessler syndrome?

I imagine colonization of the moon would be based on the extent to which each colonial power can do it themselves. A country the couldn't fully establish itself without help would probably have to make positioning and economic concessions to the states that help them colonize, with the most dependent states at the least advantage. This doesn't necessarily HAVE to lead to irreversible inequality; perhaps a dependent colony could gain greater territorial rights by agreeing to develop less exploitable areas. This also makes for a neat theoretical model of space colonization, where you have an economically powerful "rear echelon" civilization that spreads more nomadic colonists ahead of itself then slowly expands to exploit the worlds they settle.

I wanna hear that guest lecture you gave. Do you post anything like that?

So, if you have never read an Alastair Reynolds book, what is a good one to start with?

Cities in space... ORP's (Orbital Residence Platforms) is something that needs to happen, for farming, for factory & manufacturing, for the continuation of our species.

If I'm uploading my consciousness, I want infinite copies so I can try to find my best life.

Hey Isaac. It seems the series foundation on Apple TV has a lot of the theories you’ve talked about. I’m curious if you’ve watched it. If so it may be a cool topic to talk about in a video.

I think the most outlandish, unbelievable thing you've ever suggested is a board member feeling duty to their employees

In mining other planets and moons we should remember and use the lessons learned by the Spanish in how they used gold and silver from the New World.

Happy Veterans Day Issac 🇺🇲

Is it a good thing that, every time issac uploads I grab a drink and a snack.

If you have large O'Neil cylinders as colony ships the relevant risk would be tiny. The colonists would be taking a suitable artificial planet with them. That would also remove issues if biocompatibility with any life already in system. Just blat any planet with mirror reflected heat, dismantle, and use to make a swarm of cylinders...

Can we discuss how people could ever live , for more than a year or two , outside of Earth's biosphere ? Nitrogen , oxygen , water , food, disease resistance, vitamins etc. ? Without a mega ship carrying half of Earth's output for a year ??

My own pet strategy, easier and more adaptable than the moon or mars, and needing no speculative business model, is to combine: (a) The *Luna Gateway* a successor to the ISS in high lunar orbit (b) The *Asteroid Redirect Mission* where multiple robotic tugs collect and return samples from diverse asteroid type. You just keep running this project with some constant fraction of NASA funding, mastering self sufficiency and ISRU. What we can achieve with that budget can expand to infinity as we master those skills. It would certainly be nice if we master some business model that justifies more investment from earth but it is not necessary. In space workers will create in space industries to serve themselves. The initial ISRU goal would be the simplest, just using asteroid material for shielding mass. Next would be volatile extraction for lifesupport and fuel. Then would be more complex things like smelting ore and growing food. Then you could begin repairing your base with locally made components, eventually building new sections. This is a _good_ boondoggle, that will bind politicians to supporting ISRU and self sufficiency tech long term, unlike the ISS which was largely a justification for the shuttle, diverting money away from tech that could reduce shuttle usage, and whose focus on highly sensitive microgravity experiments conflicted with goals of actually living there. As a bonus, it could take part in a teleoperated robotic colony on the moon.

While I hope things never come to it, I do wonder how badly debris fields, from space wars (or even accidents), would hinder space development around gravitational bodies. Just how much debris would it take before a planet becomes inaccessible for transitioning to/from it? Or how much before interplanetary routes become hazardous.

Never been this early!

As someone who has worked retail. I can assure you there is noone in that board room concerned about the employees.

About the moon reminded me of the show, For All Mankind. It’s alternate history of the USA and The USSR going to the moon and setting up stations there.