Could a giant doughnut-shaped ring become our future home in space?
In short: Imagine living in a massive, rotating ring where the ground curves upward to meet the sky. Proposed by NASA researchers, the Stanford torus is a blueprint for a self-replicating space colony designed to house 10,000 people using artificial gravity and lunar resources.
Conceived during a 1975 NASA Summer Study at Stanford University, the Stanford torus is a rotating, doughnut-shaped space station. By rotating every minute, the 1.8 km diameter ring employs centrifugal force to generate 0.9 g to 1.0 g of artificial gravity for inhabitants. This design was selected over spherical or cylindrical alternatives because it minimizes the mass required to achieve a specific surface area and rotation radius. The station's central hub serves as a docking point for spacecraft, as it experiences the least amount of artificial gravity. To facilitate movement, several spokes connect the hub to the habitation ring, acting as conduits for people and materials.
The habitat is designed for a population of 10,000, with the interior space divided equally between residential areas and agricultural sections. To protect inhabitants from cosmic radiation, the structure requires a massive shield—roughly 1.7 meters of raw lunar soil, which would account for 95% of the station's 10 million metric tons of total mass. A sophisticated mirror network, featuring a massive stationary primary solar mirror, directs sunlight into the residential areas. The interior is illuminated by secondary mirrors positioned around the central hub. This setup ensures sunlight reaches the habitation tube effectively.
Rather than acting as a lone outpost, this torus forms part of a larger, self-replicating system. Residents would work to build more colonies and solar power stations, eventually creating a network of habitats. While the original design focuses on the Earth–Moon L5 Lagrangian point, later research has explored scaling the concept into "world ships"—massive interstellar vessels composed of four stacked toruses designed to sustain 100,000 people during deep-space travel. These interstellar vessels would utilise an upscaled propulsion system similar to the one used in Project Daedalus. Such a system would also provide essential power and a shield against interstellar dust.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Stanford torus
- Also: Wikidata — Stanford torus · CC0
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