NASA Space Settlement Contest

[NASAFanboy]

Hi all, I'm participating in the 2014 Space Settlement Constest. Just sum things up, its a NASA design contest where you design space habitats. For example, here is the link.

http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/Contest/

I'm currently hastily assembling a team of friends at my school (Which later split apart to five individual teams do to disagreements on the design.), and I was wondering if anyone on the forums wanted to help too. Yes, I will give you credit, and your help would be greatly appreciated. The current name for our design is : H.O.M.E, because..

1. I like Bobcat.inc's mods.

2. I suck at finding names. The first one was "Planetary Orbital Gateway Exploration Scientifical Civilian Colony"

3. KSP inspired me to do this.

So, is anyone participating?

I'm trying to assemble a team online. I hope it survives longer than my school one.

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

Hum, I could help you out a bit.

I'm free for most of the summer.

Speaking of which when will this be? I might not be able to participate depending on the time.

But yeah, I'm interested.

[NASAFanboy]

Hum, I could help you out a bit.

I'm free for most of the summer.

Speaking of which when will this be? I might not be able to participate depending on the time.

But yeah, I'm interested.

Projects are due March 1st, 2014. My goal is to decide on a final design by June 20th, and work on it from there. I'll also be testing and building a small scale model of the habitat, and stuff like that.

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

Err uh, sorry I can't help you with deciding on the design, I think I'll be in by maybe the end of June with any luck?

[NASAFanboy]

Yeah, I came up with this idea for a "pod" shaped habitat, but later the group split up over "Pod" or "Torus", and a bunch wanted the Death Star (Which got them kicked for lack of scientific expertise).

I've lost faith in humankind, and am making an crossbreed if my "Pod" and the traditional "Torus" idea.

[hotmailcompany52]

I would like to join you, but the only thing i can offer is design ideas.

Edited June 14, 2013 by hotmailcompany52

[alexanderw890i]

I'd like to join, too. I especially like maths and physics but I'm also good in other sciences. The only problem could be my English, because it isn't the best (It's good enough for communication but not good enough for a science article).

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

A couple questions before we start creating designs:

What will it be? A space station? A ground base?

Where will it be? I think Mars's moon Phobos would be best, but it would need some tricky maneuvering to land on it. If you like that idea you should do some research on Phobos.

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

Just writing down a couple ideas I've had:

Ideas for heat-shields:

1: A metal heat-shield that drops off after use.

Pros:

Easy to use, just set it up on the ship, then detach it.

Creates less weight after use.

Requires little to no electricity.

May cost less??

Cons:

Heavy during/before weight (main concern being the launch).

Only good for one use (if someone underestimates the aerobraking maneuver, they'd have to use precious fuel to correct it).

A inflatable balloon type thing, with heat resistant tarp, or something else over it.

Pros:

Able for use as many times as you'd like (within reason)

A wide range of possibilities of how to assemble it.

Cons:

Requires electricity to deploy/retract

May not be sufficient to slow down enough

Ways to assemble:

You can't see it, but they used balloon type things to use for this. They were along the sides and top and bottom and engulfed the craft. (fictional picture, its from a movie "2010 The year we make contact"

This is actually a heat shield idea NASA has been working on, it is a disk placed on *insert your idea of where it should go here* and when it is needed it just puffs out on all sides *not out though*. This might be a more practical idea, but then again depending on the size of this ship, it might be a struggle to create one big enough, in which case you should revert to the other idea ^^^. It may also be (depending on the ship) a long struggle with the reaction controls system (RCS) to keep it where only the shield is heating. A good thing though, is that it may cost less to implement.

Those are my thoughts on designing the heat-shield if we need one.

I think I did a good job on this post if I do so say myself *shameless self-promotion*.

Edited June 15, 2013 by Spaceisbeautifulul
Those little things...

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

Destination ideas: (I'll leave out some small moons, so if you have interest in one of them, please say so)

Mercury:

Pros... Nothing really

Cons... Hot (could contribute to many issues), not very large, small atmosphere (no aerobraking), large ammount of DV to get down to its level of orbit, let alone get into orbit.

Venus:

Pros... Small amount of DV to its level of orbit, Thick atmosphere, Reasonable size

Cons... Surface deadly in many ways (google it?)

Moon:

I assume this is a lame option

Earth:

" "

Mars:

Pros... Small amount of DV to get to its level of orbit, Atmosphere (enough to cause trouble when landing, and enough to aerobrake, but not enough to slow us down), Easiest landscape to live on

Cons... Small atmosphere, parachute landing not an option (Google it if you disagree)

Jupiter:

Cannot land on

Europa:

Pros... Reasonable size, Not many hazards on surface

Cons... Very cold, Small atmosphere

Io:

Pros... Reasonable size

Cons... Deadly atmosphere, extreme radiation (due to being close to Jupiter), many hazards on surface, Volcanoes (VERY large ones, enough to destroy something in orbit, at the most, certainly enough to destroy a ground base

Ganymede:

Pros... Not much

Cons... Small atmosphere, Very large, hazardous surface

Saturn:

Not able to land on

Titan:

Pros... Atmosphere, reasonable size, small possibility of life

Cons... Surface hazards (methane, ethane, radiation, etc.)

Rhea:

Pros... Small size (but not small enough to be a problem, enough to be a bonus!), far enough from Saturn to not be effected by radiation

Cons... Small atmosphere, Rings (collisions in orbit hazard?)

Uranus:

Not able to land on

Neptune:

Not able to land on

Triton:

Pros... Small possibility of life, Reasonable size, Far enough from Neptune to prevent radiation hazards

Cons... Small atmosphere, Very cold

Now, yes I know that I've left out obvious things, such as Saturn's rings (which is important to note could be a hazard when rendezvousing with some moons, especially the smaller ones, it could be a problem for orbits as well, probes, and coming in for aerobraking), or the gas giant's extreme aerobraking capability.

But those are obvious and would mean more trouble to write in.

So again, this isn't full information on everything, or accurate, or any of that, but it should help us come to a decision on what planet/moon.

I think I did good on this one too. *shameless self promotion*

[NASAFanboy]

Destination ideas: (I'll leave out some small moons, so if you have interest in one of them, please say so)

Mercury:

Pros... Nothing really

Cons... Hot (could contribute to many issues), not very large, small atmosphere (no aerobraking), large ammount of DV to get down to its level of orbit, let alone get into orbit.

Venus:

Pros... Small amount of DV to its level of orbit, Thick atmosphere, Reasonable size

Cons... Surface deadly in many ways (google it?)

Moon:

I assume this is a lame option

Earth:

" "

Mars:

Pros... Small amount of DV to get to its level of orbit, Atmosphere (enough to cause trouble when landing, and enough to aerobrake, but not enough to slow us down), Easiest landscape to live on

Cons... Small atmosphere, parachute landing not an option (Google it if you disagree)

Jupiter:

Cannot land on

Europa:

Pros... Reasonable size, Not many hazards on surface

Cons... Very cold, Small atmosphere

Io:

Pros... Reasonable size

Cons... Deadly atmosphere, extreme radiation (due to being close to Jupiter), many hazards on surface, Volcanoes (VERY large ones, enough to destroy something in orbit, at the most, certainly enough to destroy a ground base

Ganymede:

Pros... Not much

Cons... Small atmosphere, Very large, hazardous surface

Saturn:

Not able to land on

Titan:

Pros... Atmosphere, reasonable size, small possibility of life

Cons... Surface hazards (methane, ethane, radiation, etc.)

Rhea:

Pros... Small size (but not small enough to be a problem, enough to be a bonus!), far enough from Saturn to not be effected by radiation

Cons... Small atmosphere, Rings (collisions in orbit hazard?)

Uranus:

Not able to land on

Neptune:

Not able to land on

Triton:

Pros... Small possibility of life, Reasonable size, Far enough from Neptune to prevent radiation hazards

Cons... Small atmosphere, Very cold

Now, yes I know that I've left out obvious things, such as Saturn's rings (which is important to note could be a hazard when rendezvousing with some moons, especially the smaller ones, it could be a problem for orbits as well, probes, and coming in for aerobraking), or the gas giant's extreme aerobraking capability.

But those are obvious and would mean more trouble to write in.

So again, this isn't full information on everything, or accurate, or any of that, but it should help us come to a decision on what planet/moon.

I think I did good on this one too. *shameless self promotion*

Since the surface of Venus is an uninhabitatable toxic wasteland with lava flowing on frozen lava, I think the only chance of an colony is a spacestation in orbit. I was considering an L2 point as the location of the colony, or an L3 point around earth.

The lunar orbit was also considered, but I think it may require a heck of an rocket to boost up a massive station.

The current destinations I have in mind, are :

Largragian Points

High Venus Orbit

Medium Earth Orbit (So traditional.)

Somewhere out in Interplanetary Space.

Possible Staging Point near Jo-Jupiter for an interstellar mission.

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

I think the two that I like the most in that list is either high Venus orbit, or the Lagrangian points.

But that's just me.

[NASAFanboy]

I'd like to join, too. I especially like maths and physics but I'm also good in other sciences. The only problem could be my English, because it isn't the best (It's good enough for communication but not good enough for a science article).

It's good enough. So, where would the team like it? In a Largragian Point, or High-Venusian orbit?

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

I dunno, so far it looks like the team is us.

If it comes down to us only, I vote for high Venus orbit.

[Grove]

You have a little less than a year to design it if I read the contest page correctly, I am sure you will have enough time. I wish you good luck.

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

You have a little less than a year to design it if I read the contest page correctly, I am sure you will have enough time. I wish you good luck.

Thank you Grove.

[Grove]

Also, you have crazy competition.

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

Oh believe me, I've read some of the entries.

I know.

[Grove]

Also, I hope you have read the rules. You'll have to send a hardcopy of everything to NASA

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

Ideas for launch:

1: Balloon launch

Pros... Small amount of fuel expended

Cons... Costs time, limit on payload size (maybe assemble it in orbit like every good Eeloo lander?), May cost more depending on rocket design?

Standard rocket launch:

I love this picture...

Ok, I'm sorry, but I will get back to this more in depth, and more stuff on Monday, I don't feel so well, I'm gonna take the weekend off.

[NASAFanboy]

I've decided I a design and a location. I'm working on the rough draft, currently writing all this stuff on its structural components.

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

No offense, but can we get the bare bones of it and see if we approve/disapprove/see something that can be improved?

[NASAFanboy]

The time for mankind to leave its fertile cradle of earth, is fast approaching. As everyone knows, mothers must always bid farewell to their children, and I believe, soon, Earth must do the same to the very creatures it nurtured for tens of thousands of years. Humankind must learn to expand beyond their homeworld, spreading out into the far vastness of space.

Main Goals of the DSO Proposal

• Provide cheap, reliable space habitats for small-scale civilian living, or research/scientific purposes.

• Form an outpost that is self-sufficient, being able to sustain and control its biology for at least 5 years without any contact with colonies outside the habitat.

• Be able to push itself to a higher orbit using a small propulsion system, without endangering or disrupting the lives of the crew onboard.

The DSO Proposal is a proposal outlined to construct an cheap, reliable, and durable space habitat, and being able to be built with today’s technology and finical situation (In an international sense). The selected spot for this colony are in the following places: L2 in the Earth-Moon system, LEO, High-Venusian Orbit, and Lunar Orbit. If the station is to be located in LEO, or anything like that (Lunar Orbit), it will be arranged in a polar orbit, so it will never lose contact with the sun, which provides infinite power.

The outpost must be able to:

• Ability to deal with solar storms, cosmic radiation, and possible back contamination

• Rendezvous and dock in cislunar space, interplanetary space, and planetary orbit, while maintaining its distance from the planet to be capable of minimizing orbital decay.

• Be able to deal with failures of the life-support systems, and be able to deal with breaches in the structure of the craft, while dealing with micro-meteorites, and whatnot (i.e Shortage of toilet paper, critical oxygen supplies,)

Overview of Structural Components of the Orbital Habitat

The main colony is based around a large, central truss running the entire length of the colony. The truss is a transportation area, as it runs throughout the entire station and serves as the main route for the cables that serve for the commuting pods. The different parts are as follows:

• Five “habitation pods†to serve as the living space for the crew

• Communication array

• Several layers of Kevlar covering to provide protection from micro-meteorites, heavy casing to protect against radiation, which is applied after the inflatable modules have been inflated.

• Large solar panels, mounted on an open section of the truss as the solar array

• Solar Battery

• Docking Module

• (Possible) Propulsion Module

• Small, transport pods drawn by cables. Also known as the “commute podsâ€Â

• Possible, Nuclear option.

Asteroid/Micro Meteorite/Radiation Protection

In space, a hull breach is a bad thing. A simple hole in the walls of an ship could let in a life-sucking vacuum that could quickly kill the crew. To protect against this, the outer structure of the station will be covered by several layers of Kevlar, strong material used primarily in bullet-proof vests (And various other stuff). To protect against radiation, there will be a foot-thick layer of RXF1 polythene material, which is to shield the onboard crew from any harmful radiation. The RXF1 Material will be applied after the outpost has been built.

For pieces of debris a little larger, droplets of ammonia/water will be sprayed around the outpost. The debris will collide with the droplets, which will then break it up into smaller pieces that can be handled by the layers of Kevlar.

Docking Module

The docking module is the area where incoming spacecraft are docked and visitors/new crewmembers are received. The expected craft that will be docking to the module is a shuttle-type craft (i.e X-33, over-sized Dreamchaser, etc.). Because of this, the module will be fitted to accommodate these craft. The docking module will include a dozen robotic arms, much akin to the one used on the International Space Station, albeit much larger. These robotic arms will be tele-operated by workers inside the station, but hopefully will be able to automate itself, in the future. Each docking arm contains pipes and umbical cords that will connect the spacecraft to the solar battery inside the outpost, and allow the craft (Not the station, mind you. That does NOT need to refuel) to refuel/recharge/restock allowing the colony to be used as an “Stepping Stone†for further missions into deep space.(I want a manned Jovian mission. It’s currently some 13 years overdue.)

Cargo/supplies/humans will enter the docking module through the external airlocks, or supplies loaded into containers can be fed into the airlock using the robotic arm. The interior of the docking module will be a reception area, or it can serve as an weightless area dedicated to the amusement of those onboard, as long as it does not endanger the outpost.

There will be a single docking module, located at one of the length ends of the ship. Also, the arm(s) will draw the shuttle into the module, which will enclose it, like a hangar, but not a hangar.

Living Space

The living space of the Deep Space Outpost will be composed of eight “habitat pods†that spin on attached to the rotation cuff by a metal structure, like a wall. The two pods will rotate with the cuff, at to generate 0.8G, 80% of Terran gravity. Each pod is up to half a kilometer in length and an eighth of a kilometer in width. Each pod is an “cylindrical†space, and is connected by “wallsâ€Â, large structures attached to the pods to link them together. The main model for this inspiration is an crossbreed between the “pod†idea, and the “Torus†concept.

Here's half of the rough draft, of the rough draft.

[NASAFanboy]

I renamed "DSO", Deep Space Outpost in the roughdraft, but I'll change it later.

[Holo]

I know what I need to outdo tomorrow :-)

Just kidding, but I've been thinking about doing something like this for ages and now I possess the motivation :-)