Re: starship-design: help needed

[Ben Franchuk <bfranchuk@jetnet.ab.ca>]

Sharmila Badkar
> 
> Hello,I have been a member of this mailing list for
> sometime now and find the some of the views expressed
> very interesting. I am hoping someone can help me with
> the following...
> 
>  I am a student is of  in India who is
> currently doing a dissertation on the future of
> architecture in outer space. My main source of
> information is the Internet since there isn't much
> information on the design aspect of the topic here
> (requirements, constraints etc. other than the
> obvious). If anyone can help me out with my problem,
> it would help me immensely. I have visited the NASA
> site and got some information from there. It would
> also help if anyone could refer me to someone I can
> contact via e-mail.
> Thanx for your time and help.
> 
> Sharmila Badkar
> 

This is one topic I could ramble on all day about that and with my writing
skills
I will write all day. I am assuming architecture in general, buildings
cities , industrial and farming and living complexes.

That is a wide topic, depending where one is planning to build as you have wide
range of environments, including as a contrast underwater environments.

Here are 7 links while not architecture give some idea of what transportation
into space will be like. You can't build any thing until you can get materials
and
people into space is my view. If you can figure the what people will be doing in
space and how they got there, only then can You design the architecture that may
be
found in space.

Here are some links might be useful.

http://members.aol.com/Nathan2go/SPELEV.HTM  space hotels
http://msia02.msi.se/~lindsey/spaceLinks.html  general home page
http://www.rotaryrocket.com/  launch vehicle
http://www.xprize.org/main.asp  more launch vehicles
http://www.sciam.com/1999/0299issue/0299beardsley.html  space access
http://www.bristolspaceplanes.com/home.shtml space plane

This will give you some basic payload costs in the near future and size and
weight constraints for construction if designs are built and assembled in orbit
from
prefabricated smallish parts. For larger designs your guess is as good as any.

For historical context, http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/%7Emwade/spaceflt.htm
and good all around rocket designs this is the place to go.

Some people have suggested using boasting the shuttles external fuel tanks into
orbit and using them as habitat. The missions planned to mars have some nice
ideas as
well.

 
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                       Other links

http://www.deepcold.com/	space craft never had the "Right Stuff"
http://www.imax.com/films/distribution/L5.html  Imax movie "L5: FIRST CITY IN
SPACE"
http://www.nsseducationchapter.org/             L5 stuff - design of cites in
space
http://radsite.lbl.gov/radiance/HOME.html 
	"RADIANCE is UNIX/linux freeware for lighting design and rendering" 
http://www.motherearthnews.com/ The best down to earth magazine in the us/canada

 
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    My own views on the matter of space access and habitat.

Those who build the launch vehicles and the ideology
that goes with it will decide the architectural design.

With out a lower cost sustainable ,3rd world accessible 1980's technology with
2000's design globally planned unmanned reusable launch vehicle the 250-750kg
payload range; I don't see real growth into space. 
This could be upgraded to about 1500 kg for liquid or bulk material.

I picked such a small size vehicle because it seems to me this size of craft
could be owned and operated by small family groups and communities around the
world. As a low
profit design this will not be competed with by the Large profit making
companies. This would
permit more individual freedom to design and live in space. A lot of things
people want to
do in space could be limited by political and economic gains.
For Example: When was the last time you had input for a personal computer meets
your personal expectations rather than what the software company thinks what is
best for you
and their shareholders? The same could be true in space.

Sustainable and Humane and Companionship would be the best ideologies , Rather
then the Mass market quick $, instant gratification and "We are Better than you"
viewpoints that could prevail.

I see it being very hard not to have ones lifestyle ruled by the economic
conditions of the very powerful, in this case the people who provide access into
space.
After Food and Companionship our environment says a lot about our human
character
.
In space our environment depends on the building materials and design of the
buildings them selves . Who provides the accesses into space defines what
materials and
design's into space.

The current space ideology "Bigger is better" or "We know best" if you take a
look at the 
current space station  and past history.  Space hotels and missions to other
planets are designed to be "Monolithic" with do it big concept because we can
only
afford the largest throw away rockets. Architectural Designs would have fit into
their
compartments and be bolted together in space. Only now after 40 years are we are
thinking of building the
designs that would put man in space, that could have been done in the 60's to
70's.


My own design would have space complexes designed from raw stock
with a low profit space craft. A person who has seen "Repair" be outlawed from
all hi-tech stuff.Radios,Tv's computers this MUST not happen in space, all
things must
be reparable. Methane?/lox for chemical fuel and isp of 350.
Space plane design with single pilot craft that would launch plane to a
high altitude near the speed of sound. While not very profitable it would be
sustainable on earth. On say Mars it would be both. With only the ability to
provide raw materials for space it would require architectural designs that
could be
built in space. Other wise space could be profitable only in terms of $$$ rather
than a
step in mankind's evolution. A space hotel will be designed as a space hotel,
after 10 years it falls to earth and we build a bigger one. You can't move it to
mars
or use it as a food storage area, because is monolithically designed only for
one job.
Designs into space can be well done providing they are flexible and provide lots
of user
input.

As a person who lives in a apartment in a rather dead community I am handicapped
for social activities( I don't drive) and work at home , I tend to be alone in
my cave.
Fancy cave with heat,computers and running water. I can  see my handicap
magnified
several fold in space .The traditional social things that bind people together
religion ,
 nationality , Color can't be called to bind people together, but will rather
pull people apart. The architecture needs to be of a design that brings people
together
easily and defocus problems. So far all the space construction I have seen does
not take into
account social and animal requirements of man, as well of that of nature. If we
don't bring
nature into space who will?

Now where was that bio-dome link. The experiment to live sustained for a year
in a completely enclosed environment.I think they are on their 3rd atempt by
now.
I hope you can find it cause at the moment I can't.


    
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The real way to put a man into space.

Put a Man in space with space suit and screwdriver after borrowing
two old Gemini rockets and capsules from NASA. While you haggle for that
build a reusable rocket with a payload of 750 kg. Send up a few payloads
of 750 kg of raw stock to build a low pressure plastic? work area.
Send up our guy in the Gemini. When in orbit collect all the building material
since the reusable rockets use the Gemini's upgraded computer to fly the dumb
rockets to a nice close space dock. Once all is done admire the view. The next
day in the
space suit start building the outer habitat shell. Put up "home in space" sign.

Keep sending up supplies and materials for a few days.
By now a Inner high pressure inside compartment is constructed and squeeze tubes
litter the gemini capsule. Well the next payload sent up is inflatable reentry
craft. After building  all this the rockets sitting in orbit are disassembled
and put
in the reentry craft , and our guy in space is getting tired of the playboy
hidden
under the seat, once all the work is done. The next day or so has him building a
solar
energy collector. Well the weekend has come around and our guy gets sent up a
unexpected payload in the other Gemini His wife in a bright red space suit.
...  


habitat details, Undefined but triple walled to permit repair with out a space
suit unless the outer most wall is damaged but only a air mask and warm
underwear.
Nitrogen pressurized walls to permit detection of damage to the structure by
loss of air
pressure or contamination of the vacuum. Wall materials hopefully last a long
time since no O2 or water vapor to rust out the structure. Habitat areas would
require more frequent repair.

[ outer shell - mildly air tight low pressure nitrogen - external joints] 
[ vacuum insulation ]
[ inner structure and major supports - internal medium pressure nitrogen ]
  primary  shielding?  Storage?
[ vacuum insulation  ]
[ habitat area full pressure ] 


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Good luck finding your material.

Ben Franchuk (the lucky woodelf)
http://www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/