Island One In a series of studies held at
Stanford University in 1975 and 1976 with the purpose of speculating on designs for future
space colonies, Dr.
Gerard K. O'Neill proposed
Island One, a modified Bernal sphere with a diameter of only rotating at 1.9
RPM to produce a full
Earth artificial gravity at the sphere's equator. The result would be an interior landscape that would resemble a large valley running all the way around the
equator of the sphere.
Island One would be capable of providing living and recreation space for a population of approximately 10,000 people, with a "Crystal Palace" habitat (consisting of several rings attached to the sphere at each pole) used for agriculture. Sunlight was to be provided to the interior of the sphere using external
mirrors to direct it in through large windows near the poles. The form of a sphere was chosen for its optimum ability to contain air
pressure and its optimum mass-efficiency at providing
radiation shielding.
Island Two O'Neill envisioned the next generation of space habitat as a larger version of
Island One.
Island Two would be approximately 1800 meters in diameter, yielding an equatorial circumference of nearly six and a half kilometers (four miles). The size was driven by economics; the habitat was to be small enough to allow for efficient transportation within the habitat and large enough to support an efficient industrial base. ==Image gallery==