AssertUtf8: ä
Name: 1000InSpace
Year: 2136
Title: Human Population in Space Surpasses 1000 
ShortTitle: 1000 in Space
Short: Humanity establishes its presence beyond Earth's atmosphere, with over a thousand people living and working in various sectors of interplanetary space, nearly half of whom contribute to the SCALE project.
Headline: "Humanity Expands Its Frontier: Over 1000 Thrive Beyond Earth"
Post: "2136 Human Population in Space Surpasses 1000. Humanity establishes its presence beyond Earth's atmosphere, with over a thousand people living and working in various sectors of interplanetary space, nearly half of whom contribute to the SCALE project... more: http://jmp1.de/e2136"
Image: en_2136_1000InSpace.jpg
Author: Heiner Wolf
Translation: Heiner Wolf
Tags: [_project_expansion, Outer space population, Outer space industry]
Topics: [statistics]
Text: |
  Over recent decades, the population inhabiting space from Earth to the Moon, including the Earth-Moon L4/L5 points and the Earth L1 point, has seen a consistent increase. More than a thousand individuals now call these regions in space their home and place of work. A substantial segment of this group contributes to the international SCALE project, the Sunlight Control and Limitation Effort which maintains a sunshade between the Earth and the Sun. 
  The International Space Station 2.0, a multinational endeavor led by India, Nigeria, and China, serves as a hub for scientific research and technological development. Housing a hundred individuals, the station is a testament to the enduring spirit of international cooperation in space exploration.
  Various lunar research bases and solar power stations, host 50 and 75 personnel respectively. The Mars Transit Habitat, a rest and resupply point for Mars-bound missions, operates with a minimal crew of 12. Several tourist destinations in orbit and on the moon accommodate about 200 tourists at any time, a testament to the importance of tourism as a business in outer space. Meanwhile, the Space Debris Collection network and TOAST, the Transit Orbital Assistance and Space Towing service, each staffed by 30 personnel, work tirelessly to mitigate the growing problem of space debris while providing crucial services to satellite and spacecraft operators at the same time.
  At the heart of these endeavors lies SCALE. This ground-breaking project, initiated in response to the global warming crisis, engages 400 personnel across lunar factories, various points in Earth's orbit, and at the L1 Lagrange point. Alongside these dedicated individuals, tens of thousands of construction drones autonomously process millions of tons of titanium and aluminum into lattice structures and foil.
  The Off-Earth Manufacturing Facility and Biological Research Station, each with a crew of 25, lead advances in microgravity manufacturing and space medicine. Concurrently, lunar ice mining Bases and the multi-national Deep Space Gateway, with 20 and 15 staff respectively, provide essential resources, and serve as launching points for further space exploration.
  Though not yet operational, the Space Elevator Research Station houses 10 personnel focusing on research and development for a future space tether. The distributed Deep Space Observatory is home to a total of 15 researchers while various comet research facilities, in Earth space and beyond employ 20 scientists, technicians and prospectors. The Interstellar Probe Launch Site, operated by StarSail, is gearing up to dispatch probes into interstellar space. A compact technical crew manages the site's powerful lasers and energy stations, essential for propelling these probes. 
  A multitude of smaller stations, managed by a combination of private corporations and nation-states, dot the low and high Earth orbits. Each station, though smaller in size and scope, contributes uniquely to the broad spectrum of human space activities. Despite their modest size, these stations accommodate a significant segment of the space-residing population. They play pivotal roles in research, space resource utilization, and in-situ manufacturing. The ability to produce equipment and spare parts directly in orbit significantly reduces the need for costly cargo launches from Earth. These service-focused stations, alongside lunar mining facilities, are the early indicators of an emerging interplanetary economy.