9 Places We Could Build Space Colonies

By Stevie Shephard /

5. Europa

Wikipedia

If we think outside the box a bit, we can open up whole new worlds (literally).

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Europa, the fourth-largest moon of Jupiter, is considered to be one of the most habitable places in the solar system alongside the Earth and Titan.

It is thought that there exists a vast ocean of liquid water beneath the moon's icy surface. Not only would this provide settlers with enough water to survive, but it could be broken down to produce breathable oxygen and even rocket fuel.

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Granted, Europa tends to sit smack in the middle of Jupiter's powerful radiation belts, but colonists could protect themselves by descending beneath the surface, into the subterranean ocean or in air pockets in the ice itself.

The moon is considered such a good candidate for off-world exploration, that the Artemis Project produced a rough plan for its colonisation back in 1997.

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Plus, the view at the surface would include a spectacular "Jupiter rise", which is surely worth the trip on its own.