Project Hyperion - Phase 1 Submission
Project Hyperion is an interstellar design competition aiming to develop innovative concepts for a generation ship — a spacecraft intended for centuries-long voyages, where multiple generations of inhabitants live, reproduce, and sustain their society until reaching a distant star system. The competition seeks comprehensive designs that integrate architecture, engineering, and societal structures, ensuring long-term ecological sustainability, technological viability, and cultural adaptability throughout the journey.
Our team (consisting of members in the fields of architecture, engineering, anthropology, food systems, and software engineering) has formally completed and submitted our Phase 1 design entry to the Project Hyperion Design competition. This submission encapsulates an integrated and methodical approach to designing a generational starship intended for multi-century interstellar voyages. We have been informed that our Phase 1 submission has been approved by the jury and we have been invited to submit a Phase 2 submission!
Key Features of the Submitted Design:
Habitat Concept:
The habitat is a rotating, drum-shaped environment designed to simulate Earth-like conditions.
Dimensions selected: Radius of 1,000 meters and length of 2,500 meters.
Artificial gravity generated through rotation, providing approximately 1G at the outer habitat surface, with varied gravitational experiences at different elevations.
Dynamic terrain configurations enhance ecological diversity and spatial utility.
Central "Sunbeam" axial lighting system simulates sunlight progression across the habitat.
Sustainability and Technology:
Emphasis on low-complexity, maintainable systems to ensure technological resilience.
Passive environmental control systems employed to regulate thermal conditions, humidity, and airflow.
Integration of permaculture agriculture to achieve a robust, regenerative food supply.
Strategic selection of technology to balance mission-critical temporary solutions with long-term maintainability.
Societal and Cultural Structure:
Governance structured around decentralized, representative council model.
Population strategy established to carefully manage demographic stability, balancing growth with sustainability without coercive measures.
Robust educational framework to ensure retention and transmission of critical tacit and codified knowledge.
Explicit cultural integration of end-of-life practices, emphasizing resource recycling and medical knowledge acquisition.
Next Steps: Moving forward, our team will focus on responding to evaluation feedback, refining our design further, and preparing our Phase 2 submission for the Project Hyperion Design competition. Additional updates will follow as we progress.
The Phase 1 entry represents a comprehensive solution designed explicitly to support human resilience, ecological sustainability, and technological viability over multi-generational interstellar travel durations. I will post both submissions on this site once we submit our Phase 2 submission on March 4th, 2025.
