Project Persphone: NASA & British Scientists Building 'Living Space Ark' To Save Humanity

British scientists are working on a space ark capable of sustaining humanity in the event of a global catastrophe.
Even though none of them will ever live to see it launched.
The Times reports that researchers from the universities of Greenwich, Warwick and Surrey are helping to lead the project, which is known as Project Persephone.
In all 13 scientists are involved, six British but also including team members from the USA, Italy and the Netherlands.

The stated aim is to investigate “living technologies” that might help in the “context of habitable starship architecture that can respond and evolve according to the needs of its inhabitants”. The vision is for a craft capable of sustaining a few thousand individuals for multiple generations, while the ship travels to a planet able to sustain life.

The idea is for the craft to be self-sustaining, forming an ecosystem which incorporates some of the same processes seen on Earth for generating light, air, water, food and gravity, but using the best elements of modern tech too.

Project Persphone: British Scientists Building 'Living Space Ark' To Save Humanity

Well if this isn't foreshadowing.....

a reply to: SirKonstantin

Took the words right out of my mouth!

Wow.....

a reply to: SirKonstantin

I thought the same thing when reading the OP. The next question is why now? What is on the horizon that could possibly wipe out the human race other than obvious day to day threats?

Ahh and now this information about building an "Ark"?


Star Cluster Hurtling at Millions of Miles an Hour towards Earth

Yep....Were Boned.... (credit for quote given to Bender Rodriguez)

a reply to: SirKonstantin

Well, sure but, wouldn't this have ended up happening sooner or later regardless of whether we thought something was coming that we needed to save ourselves from?
It's like...what most of our sci-fy is based off of so I guess I think it is kind of inevitable.

Well I believe that something big is gonna happen by the end of this year, something that will change the way we look at the universe and ourselves. Almost like ManBehindTheMask posted, but not Earth obliteration, Maybe! Hence this thingy is being built.

Kinda reminds me of the Matt Damon Movie, Elysium.

This Thread Should Go into Doom Porn.

a reply to: SpaDe_

Or ask, Why Not? Lets Spend Spend Spend!

a reply to: awakendhybrid

We may have our aliens protect the earth with their technology...If It's Really Needed, or If They Care Enough.

originally posted by: SirKonstantin
Well if this isn't foreshadowing.....

originally posted by: chelsdh
a reply to: SirKonstantin

Took the words right out of my mouth!

Wow.....

originally posted by: SpaDe_
a reply to: SirKonstantin

I thought the same thing when reading the OP. The next question is why now? What is on the horizon that could possibly wipe out the human race other than obvious day to day threats?

Well, first of all, this is really an elective project done by scientists volunteering themselves to a non-profit organization that isn't even government funded or has any ties to any government agency, so these conspiracy theories are unfounded. These scientists do not actually research this in their day jobs nor are there any grants to fund this sort of thing, so I doubt these scientists are in the "know" anymore than the general public is.

This is simply a feasibility "study" done by a handful of scientists who meet once a year to speculate on what it would take to build such a massive thing. Rest assured, no government is crazy enough to fund such a project and no "ark" is going to be built (which would likely bankrupt all of the governments in the world).

Probably 'thought up' by a bunch of old farts... but really straight from the old sci-fi movie "When worlds collide" 1951.
They didn't pull too many punches in the film, and the trailer was intended to scare your bits, they even say it could happen in your lifetime.



There are heaps of material on the same theme, but the movies are always ahead of the game, although some expired scientists may lay claim to the original idea, when it's an event that's pretty blindingly obvious could happen at any time.

a reply to: LrdRedhawk

I suppose this is real but it sounds like it's in the infant stages. A noble idea but it says that only a few thousand get to go. Who decides on gets to go? Furthermore, they're talking about undiscovered technology(ies) to build it.

a reply to: SirKonstantin

Elysium meets Wall-E. The fact that its planning is for a few thousand people is just great, isn't it? Such optimism. I think we should personally created an international law that, come what may, we're all stuck here to sink or swim together. Might change a few things, who knows.

Looking at the design team, I don't know if I can take it very seriously though. Mostly architects and I think one physicist. Doesn't scream "we're going to put something into space" really. Several biologists, one of whom is a geneticist, in the mix as well, I'm sure to determine just what kind of human DNA should be saved.

Yuck.

a reply to: LrdRedhawk

The picture looks just like the Citadel district on Mass Effect.

There was a great book written by Arthur C.Clarke. it dealt with neutrinos coming from the sun and humanity had to build arks to get away. The Mormons launched the first one, then the Muslims and then other groups...I wished I remembered the name. Worth the read. Only about 200 pages of brilliance.

Anyone play Civilisation?

Mods I promise that comment is on topic...if you play civilisation...

originally posted by: ManBehindTheMask
Ahh and now this information about building an "Ark"?


Star Cluster Hurtling at Millions of Miles an Hour towards Earth

Yep....Were Boned.... (credit for quote given to Bender Rodriguez)

That cluster will take millions of years to get near here.

a reply to: LrdRedhawk

Project Persphone: NASA & British Scientists Building 'Living Space Ark' To Save Humanity

I realize it's the name of the article and not your words, but I don't think "building" is accurate.

The article says the tech is far from being developed and it may take a couple centuries to achieve anything close to an "Ark".

Once again, I think sensational headlines are used here to pull people onto HuffPost and the article.

It's a sensible project. Humanity's survival rate, in the long run, doesn't amount to much if we don't spread to the stars. All it takes is one of the hundreds of NEOs (near earth objects) to hit earth and decimate us.

We should have started actually building things like this decades ago, to colonize more of our solar system.

I'd hop on one in a heartbeat to live in space and one day have myself, or my children, set foot upon a new world.

I thought Mars was going to be our ark? But I suppose what obliterates Earth might get Mars too. Then again it would probably also get that ark. The most likely scenario is that we won't see whatever it is to be coming and will be powerless to do anything about it, so don't worry...be happy.