PLANT-iii

From JSC Archives
Jump to navigationJump to search

PLANT–iii is the largest and most populous of the ten PLANT habitats The PLANTs in low-earth orbit, with a mean altitude of 330 km. Like the other nine PLANTs, PLANT-iii is hourglass-shaped, with the opposite ends each the widest portion, and the centre the thinnest area. Each end hosts a living area, where the majority of colonists live and work. The living area and the thinning of the outer walls above toward the middle is completely enclosed by translucent material, which presents the illusion of a blue sky with sun when tilted toward the sun and a dark night sky filled with stars when titled away or behind Earth from the sun.

The two living areas (habitats) located at each end of the PLANT-iii, each have a total area of just under 30 km2, supporting a total population of 390,156 according to the 2020 census, 202,077 in Habitat A and 188,079 in Habitat B. This makes for a population density of 6992.28 km2 in Habitat A and of 6311.38 km2 in Habitat B. Each habitat is highly urbanised in and around its centre, while immediately surrounding communities are more suburban and in some places rural, with the outermost portions of the Habitat up to the edge are dominated by forests, meadows and agriculture. Approximately 70% of citizens work in the local economy of one or both habitats, 25% for the colonial administration's public services including parks, schools, libraries, hospitals, transit, etc. and a final 5% for the administration itself.