Comprehension Quiz

9 questions

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What is the most radical feature of Chrysalis compared with usual space missions?

It returns to Earth after each supply stop.

It lands on multiple planets during the voyage.

It has no return or rescue plan and carries generations who live and die on board.

It avoids using any artificial gravity system.

Why must the starship be so large?

To fit a conventional airport inside.

To spin faster and increase motion sickness.

To carry enough fuel for rocket landings on many planets.

To rotate slowly enough to create comfortable artificial gravity.

Which destination is proposed for the mission?

Europa, a moon of Jupiter.

Proxima Centauri b, about 4.2 light-years away.

Mars, the nearest planet to Earth.

Kepler-452b, a distant exoplanet.

What travel time does the concept assume?

Around 400 years, meaning several generations live aboard.

Four years, using current chemical rockets.

Forty years, with nuclear thermal engines.

Four thousand years, with no human crew.

Why does the design include “biome domes” and a central gathering space?

To make frequent outdoor walks possible in deep space.

To grow only decorative plants for tourism.

To recreate parts of Earth’s ecology and support social life and shared purpose.

To store extra fuel tanks in a safer location.

Where and how would Chrysalis likely be constructed?

Fully on Earth, then launched in one piece by a single rocket.

Under the ocean to use water pressure for testing.

On the Moon’s far side to avoid sunlight.

In space near the Earth-Moon L1 point to ease assembly and “parking.”

What role is envisioned for AI aboard the ship?

None; automation is forbidden by design.

Assisting with life-support, operations, and even education and governance.

Only entertainment for passengers.

Replacing human crew entirely after launch.

Why are long isolation trials (e.g., Antarctica) part of the plan?

Because the ship needs ice as a shield.

Because crews must practice landing on glaciers.

Because the mission tests social and psychological endurance over years and generations.

Because cold weather improves rocket efficiency.

Choose the best summary:

Chrysalis is a small shuttle that flies to Mars and returns with tourists after a month.

Chrysalis proposes faster-than-light travel so that crews can commute daily between Earth and Proxima.

The concept is only about new spacesuits; ship design is not discussed.

Chrysalis is a vast generation ship concept: a rotating, self-sufficient “city-ship” for ~1,000 people, built in space, traveling ~400 years to Proxima Centauri b with no return or rescue, relying on fusion, biomes, and AI to sustain multi-generational life.

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Discussion Questions

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If the people who launch will never arrive, who has the moral right to approve the mission—the present, or the unborn crew?

Is a “no rescue” policy honest realism or a convenient excuse to under-invest in safety?

Would AI in governance reduce human bias—or just hide it behind code written by the first generation?

Which failure is more likely to break the ship: a technical fault or a slow social crack (unfair rules, unequal access, lost purpose)? Defend your choice.

Is building at L1 ambitious engineering or just moving our mess off Earth’s surface? What responsibilities come with a moving nation-state?

If you were born on Chrysalis, what tradition would you invent to keep meaning alive for four centuries—and why?

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No Return, No Rescue: A “City-Ship” Called Chrysalis

December 10, 2025•5 min read•Interplanetary•Upper Intermediate