Nuclear heated polar settlement on Frobisher Bay
There were plans for such a thing in Frobisher Bay, in the 50s. It was deemed marginally useful and so undesirable no one would choose to live there, even in service of nearby whaling, fishing, mining or military jobs.
My question is, how much improvement would be needed before that stops being true? The Frobisher Bay settlement housed everyone in apartment towers surrounding a concrete dome (no windows, they would bleed heat, + it's dark half the year) with a restaurant, skating rink, and park inside. It would still be cold in the dome due to the energy cost of heating, even using all the waste heat from the reactor, but it would be vastly less cold than outside the dome, i.e. you'd be fine with a winter jacket.
This already seems better by far than Norilsk, which many people live in without committing suicide somehow. Is it still not enough? Think hard about all the activities you enjoy, which improve mental health & give your life meaning. Then trim that list down to the most essential few, that could reasonably be included in the layout of such a structure. Assume a population of 1,000.
I strongly feel solving this problem will be crucial to planning settlements on the Moon & Mars which aren't bleak, miserable dumps.
My question is, how much improvement would be needed before that stops being true? The Frobisher Bay settlement housed everyone in apartment towers surrounding a concrete dome (no windows, they would bleed heat, + it's dark half the year) with a restaurant, skating rink, and park inside. It would still be cold in the dome due to the energy cost of heating, even using all the waste heat from the reactor, but it would be vastly less cold than outside the dome, i.e. you'd be fine with a winter jacket.
This already seems better by far than Norilsk, which many people live in without committing suicide somehow. Is it still not enough? Think hard about all the activities you enjoy, which improve mental health & give your life meaning. Then trim that list down to the most essential few, that could reasonably be included in the layout of such a structure. Assume a population of 1,000.
I strongly feel solving this problem will be crucial to planning settlements on the Moon & Mars which aren't bleak, miserable dumps.
