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12 points

A fascinating alternative is “a pressurized ETFE membrane… periodically anchored to the ground by steel cables.”

In plain language: Fiber-reinforced rip-stop ETFE (a thin, strong, light, transparent material used for yacht sails) is used to make a roof and walls with the area under it pressurized and anchored using very tall cables, hundreds of meters high or more, to create a sky. The covered area is huge, the size of a city, compartmentalized for redundancy. People are able to go about their daily lives without use of space suits and it doesn’t feel like you are “inside”.

Domes are over-rated

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2 points

Great link

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3 points

Okay but what are we gonna do if some giant space cat decides to claw the barrier? I’ve always wondered what the inside of a air mattress is like.

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