Bernal sphere

The Bernal Sphere is the model of a space station that is intended to offer its residents permanent and long-term living space. It was presented in 1929 by the British physicist John Desmond Bernal and is said to accommodate a population of around 20,000 to 30,000 people. Constructs with a similar purpose are the O'Neill cylinder and the Stanford torus .

NASA design of a Bernal sphere from the 1970s

Artist's impression of the interior of a Bernal sphere, NASA, 1970s

History of ideas

The first approach describes a cylindrical hollow body construction with a diameter of 1.6 kilometers, which is enclosed by external solar rings and on the inside of which an air- filled biosphere is created. The centrifugal force creates an earth-like artificial gravity on the inner walls through rapid rotation of the hollow body . Additional solar modules capture sunlight for lighting and the colony's energy budget.

In later project drafts on space colonization , e.g. B. in those of Gerard Kitchen O'Neill and NASA , Bernal's idea was taken up again under the names Island One and Island Two .

In the media

In the Babylon 5 universe , the eponymous space station Babylon 5 is also based on a Bernal sphere.