The Science of Star Wars: The Scientific Facts Behind the Force, Space Travel, and More!

by Mark Brake

On a gas giant like Bespin, to get a layer of atmosphere that contains enough oxygen is a major problem. On Earth, the oxygen supplies come from life-forms that use photosynthesis to obtain carbon from carbon dioxide (CO2), leaving the oxygen to enter the atmosphere. By volume, oxygen is only about 21% of the air we breathe. Nitrogen makes up the majority at 78%. Bespin would need to have similar photosynthesizing life-forms such as algae to oxygenate its Life Zone, unless it has another way of obtaining oxygen. However, the algae would need access to water, which is only in the clouds. They would also need a source of CO2 which, if present on the planet, would just sink to the lower atmosphere due to its weight. Astrophysicist Mathieu Hirtzig, who now works at Fondation La main à la pâte in Paris, has spent a significant amount of time studying Saturn’s moon Titan. He proposed some possible alternatives for oxygen production based on stellar flux (energy from the local star) and technology. “Photolysis (the breaking of molecules by UV rays) is an option: the water molecule could be broken down by the stellar flux, to keep only Oxygen,” Says Hirtzig. However, because Bespin is massive enough to hold onto any freed up hydrogen, the oxygen would just reform into water or even more reactive molecules. The technological option is to use electrolysis where the water is split using electricity. “The Cloud City could well be producing its own Life Zone, by keeping the hydrogen an...