XPost: sci.space.policy
From: mikecombs@nospam.com_chg_nospam_2_ti.retro.com
"Peter Fairbrother" wrote in message
news:C036EBD5.C51C2%zenadsl6186@zen.co.uk...
> Lawrence Gales wrote:
>
> What is this obsession with spheres, torii (toruses?) and cylinders? It's
> very earth-bound thinking.
Those are shapes that make for very efficient pressure vessels, which a
space habitat essentially is. The advantage of a sphere is that it
represents the greatest volume with the least amount of surface area. Since
the surface area of a space habitat must be shielded from cosmic rays, that
means 6 foot thick walls, which greatly affects overall mass.
> As is the desire for one g, but let that slide.
I think assuming 1 G is required is the conservative and safe assumption we
should start out with. We can start getting more experimental later on when
we've accumulated more experience with lesser levels of G.
> Two modules with a long rope between them. Set them spinning, and you have
> any gravity you like. In any size you like. Space is big, there is plenty
of
> room.
This is a perfectly sensible design for a near-term habitat of modest
requirements. (Though I would prefer a pressurized tunnel over ropes or
cables. I like the idea of being able to get up to the spin axis in an
emergency under your own power and without a space suit.) The tori,
spheres, and cylinders are long-term habitat designs where the design goal
is not just to keep people alive and healthy but to recreate the most
pleasant areas found on the Earth's surface.
--
Regards,
Mike Combs
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By all that you hold dear on this good Earth
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Aragorn
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