Ecodome resources

Hello Jesikah (and everyone else)!

Were there particular books on how to build ecodomes that you used in your research for your novel?

I remember watching a documentary on an ecodome experiment and one of the issues they dealt with was concrete absorbing all of their oxygen. I wonder if there are any comprehensive text on ecodome design...

Thank you,
Jake

Jake Parkhurst wrote:Hello Jesikah (and everyone else)!

Were there particular books on how to build ecodomes that you used in your research for your novel?

I remember watching a documentary on an ecodome experiment and one of the issues they dealt with was concrete absorbing all of their oxygen. I wonder if there are any comprehensive text on ecodome design...

Thank you,
Jake

Hi Jake

Fabulous questions. And yes, you are correct. The Biosphere 2 project failed because they not allowed the concrete to fully cure before "terraforming" on top of their technosphere (where their labs were). Concrete has a nasty habit of sucking the oxygen out of the air while curing.

And yes, I read many books . . . on the Biosphere 2 Project, on permaculture practices, on NASA space tech advances, Green tech used in current factory/cities, Computer and Green tech 50 predicted for 50 years into the future, and blogs/forums created by everyday people on their theories on how best to construct a biodome colony on Mars. The amount of research was astonishing. I had a team of experts who assisted me, including the man who coined the term "Isolated, Confined, and Extreme Environment Syndrome" for NASA. I also had help from a psychiatrists, who not only helped me craft my villain to be realistic (rather than cliche), but also helped me plan out details for the best environment for healthy human psychology, which influenced how I designed my biodome city.

Part of my research was what trees to use for optimal oxygen generation and, interestingly, the "willow oak" was listed by multiple sources. So, I named one of my main characters Willow Oak and plopped a tree in her namesake within the biodome

My biodome construction no doubt is full of flaws. I'm not an engineer. But I did have fun weaving together a possibility for the future of interplanetary colonization

Thank you so much for listing those resources Jesikah! It sounds like your book is really well thought out! I am definitely going to have to read your book.

After reading the red mars, green mars, blue mars trilogy, I am interested in learning more about eco domes. It is really interesting how technology shapes political maneuvering.

Jake Parkhurst wrote:Thank you so much for listing those resources Jesikah! It sounds like your book is really well thought out! I am definitely going to have to read your book.

After reading the red mars, green mars, blue mars trilogy, I am interested in learning more about eco domes. It is really interesting how technology shapes political maneuvering.

I tried to infuse as much realism into the project as possible. Oh, yes! The Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars trilogy are awesome and full of chunky worldbuilding. And definitely. Technology shapes power.