The Interstellar Ship as an Institution

Rationale & Context

A ship that lasts centuries is primarily a social system. The physical shell is a consequence of governance and culture.

Constraints & Non-Goals

• —Governance realism.
• —Cultural continuity.
• —Failure modes explicit.

Feasibility Gradient

Start as a governance thought experiment → simulate failure modes → translate into architectural constraints.

Next Actions

1. Draft 3 governance models.
2. List top 20 failure modes.
3. Map governance to spatial design constraints.