Unlike Texas Ed's Creationism Shenanigans, Here's Some Science Fiction We Can Get Behind

Photo from AIArchitect.com

We recently came across this fascinating master's architecture project by UT Arlington alumnus Jason Mellard. Drawing from Star Wars and "biomimicking" the clam shell, this archipelago of futuristic donuts would function as a self-sustaining aquatic research platform, designed to allow scientists to study marine animals and fish in their natural habitat for extended periods of time.

From AIArchitect:

The research spheres consist of laboratories, classrooms, computer labs, viewing platforms, holding tanks, offices, and storage. The habitation disk provides sleeping and living areas for researchers and their families, communal dining and food preparation, a medical clinic, recreational areas, observation decks, and docking platforms. The mechanical spine houses vertical circulation, energy storage, waste removal systems, a control and engine room, and emergency generators.

Impressive though the design is, there's little chance of ever seeing something even remotely as sexy-geeky as this showing up offshore: Mellard estimates the steel and glass campus to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 million to $1 billion—a bit beyond the scope of the National Science Foundation's modest annual budget for facilities construction.

More photos after the jump.