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Orbital Reef / Starlab / Noname Northrop Grumman Station


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  • 3 weeks later...
6 hours ago, tater said:

3.0 is SS only—or with a more normal fairing (non-flush) for NG as well.

Musk is talking about a 19m diameter scale up of SS.  Imagine the payloads.  Like a scaled up JWST that unfolded to even larger; 40 to 50m mirror array?  Or the Life 4.0 inflatable at 35m+ diameter?

Edited by darthgently
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NRP story mentions the BO station has artificial gravity.

Quote

Robyn Gatens, director of the International Space Station...

Gatens says one piece of technology that is being developed at Blue Origin is a big rotating space station that, when finished, would have artificial gravity.

For long trips in space, the lack of gravity is a main issue for the human body, causing bone-loss and other health issues. "If you could recreate that in space, that will be very beneficial," Gatens said.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
On 2/22/2024 at 5:21 PM, tater said:

NRP story mentions the BO station has artificial gravity.

The ISS had it once.

Based on the leftmost docking port side position, it's easy to repeat.

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2 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

The ISS had it once.

Based on the leftmost docking port side position, it's easy to repeat.

So include a port that a new Nauka can dock with and done?

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  • 4 weeks later...
21 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

So they'll connect to the ISS long enough to do checkouts, but are aiming to separate as soon as possible?

It sounds to me like it’s more than just checkouts, more like learning the ropes of space station operation.

All that’s changed is the timeline is a little shorter. I guess they realized it wouldn’t take as long as originally envisioned.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm wary of 'never' statements. Reusability didn't make sense until it eventually did. Then, with Starlink eating spare capacity, the launch party started.

Granted, commercial space stations will not make sense until someone sticks their neck out and it isn't immediately financially severed. Pharmaceutical research and manufacture and organ bio-printing might be an early way to keep the lights on. I'm pulling for perovskite solar panel or novel semi-conductor research, though.

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5 hours ago, AckSed said:

I'm wary of 'never' statements. Reusability didn't make sense until it eventually did. Then, with Starlink eating spare capacity, the launch party started.

Granted, commercial space stations will not make sense until someone sticks their neck out and it isn't immediately financially severed. Pharmaceutical research and manufacture and organ bio-printing might be an early way to keep the lights on. I'm pulling for perovskite solar panel or novel semi-conductor research, though.

And optical fiber.  Organs grown from a patient’s own cells is the big deal though

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Most manufacturing in microgravity is best done minus humans (they add vibration).

The use-case for the time being will be government anchor customers—NASA, et al.

If anyone ever makes safe, reasonably priced human spaceflight a thing, then tourism.

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28 minutes ago, tater said:

Most manufacturing in microgravity is best done minus humans (they add vibration).

The use-case for the time being will be government anchor customers—NASA, et al.

If anyone ever makes safe, reasonably priced human spaceflight a thing, then tourism.

Having worked in maintenance, from landscaping, to buildings, to component level electronics, to the various levels of factory hardware through firmware to many years in software I can honestly state that I have yet to see any automated process that doesn’t require direct human intervention at the least convenient times and places.  If we do get automated manufacturing in space sans humans because of vibrations or whatever, it won’t be long before each orbital facility, depending on criticality and value, has at least a small habitat with a rotating staff of technicians and engineers available.  Perhaps multiple manufacturing orbitals would center on such a support hab.

Organ printing would almost certainly justify some fast, near on-site, maintenance response.  Down time would mean major lost income

 

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It depends on the actual requirement for 0 g, I suppose. Organs would probably not be so sensitive, but from what I've read about some crystal growing, etc, vibration is a huge problem.

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I’m probably over-responding above, but when I read about zero human full automation it reminds me of the “practical engineered fusion is always 10 years away” trope.

 We will always be trying new things, even with “human free manufacturing” and so will always be tweaking things and will often be getting elbow deep on site at 0 dark thirty on occasion.   Because we like it that way, apparently, lol

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2 minutes ago, darthgently said:

I’m probably over-responding above, but when I read about zero human full automation it reminds me of the “practical engineered fusion is always 10 years away” trope.

 We will always be trying new things, even with “human free manufacturing” and so will always be tweaking things and will often be getting elbow deep on site at 0 dark thirty on occasion.   Because we like it that way, apparently.

I don't disagree.

I came across a sentiment the other day that really resonated: "domesticate space". To boil it down: space has a branding problem, and Hollywood has had a stranglehold on its image as 'dangerous and hostile' for too long, but space is about the future, our future. Space communicators (and especially NASA, as one of the strongest brands around) should reclaim that future.

If I, space-company recruiter, say to a potential STEM major, "Your future is as a pioneer who works in a space station to make life-saving organs for other people. It'll be difficult. It'll be dangerous. However, you get to be an astronaut," how many would work towards it because they heard 'astronaut' and not 'factory worker'? NASA has kind of captured the imagination to the point that if a human spaceflight's not NASA-backed, they're not thought an astronaut.

Or to take a different tack, Hypothetical Space-Recruiter Me could emphasise that you, yes you, can shape the future with your own two hands... it kind of loses something if you're then sitting in an office telepresence rig tele-commuting to an LEO factory.

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