Artist’s concept of solar power satellite. Credits: John Mankins / Forbes
The European Space Agency is soliciting submission of abstracts on ideas for development of space-based solar power that would address some of the technological bottlenecks preventing feasible realization. In a campaign for new ideas under its Open Space Innovation Platform, the Agency is seeking novel proposals for space-based solar power systems for applications on the Earth, Moon or Mars. They also are seeking methods of scaling and integrating space-based solar power into energy grids, in-space construction techniques and early in-space demonstration concepts.
Awards of 90,000€, 100,000€ or 175,000€ are being offered for ideas that would be implemented as co-funded research, system studies or early technology demonstrations, respectively.
Artist’s concept of an O’Neill space colony. Credits: Blue Origin
In a thread on Twitter Philip Metzger, a planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida, updates his bootstrapping vision from a few years back in which he and colleagues at NASA published a paper on how robotics, 3D printing and in situ resource utilization could be leveraged to accelerate a solar system civilization. In a series of 9 Tweets, Metzger makes the case for his “Rapid Bootstrapping Scenario” as the preferred course out of three possible alternatives to get us there faster.
Many space enthusiasts, including Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos, advocate for what Metzger calls a solar system “Civilization Fully Revolutionized”. This is a future where most industrial manufacturing is done sustainably in space and Earth is preserved as a beautiful natural environment.
If we continue on the current path, down what Metzger calls “The Slow Growth Scenario”, space agencies like NASA will continue paving the technological highway for private entities to slowly develop their profitable enterprises. But because space exploration and development is difficult, a different approach is needed to prime the pump. Metzger suggests the preferred course of action is intentional pre-economic bootstrapping in which “…visionary individuals with means, citizen-led movements, or governments that see the long-term benefit of getting beyond our planetary limit…create a coalition of likeminded citizen movements and enlightened governments committed to a good future so we reach the ‘ignition’ point first by being fast”.
Source: Philip Metzger/UCF. @DrPhiltill. www.philipmetzger.com
Artist’s impression of an inflatable habitat on the Moon. Credits / NASA, Gary Kitmacher
Haym Benroya, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers University and author of Turning Dust to Gold, Building a Future on the Moon and Mars gave a presentation recently at a workshop of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. EPSRC is the main funding body for engineering and physical sciences research in the UK. The event kicked of a project sponsored by the EPSRC called Designing for the Future: Optimizing the structural form of regolith-based monolithic vaults in low-gravity conditions. Benroya shared his presentation with me in which he discusses the design challenges and solutions to optimize a reliable and safe lunar habitat.
The design of space settlements on the Moon will have an array of engineering challenges including protection from radiation, meteoroids, temperature extremes and Moonquakes. In addition, human factors such as psychological and physiological aspects associated with isolation and the lower gravity conditions need to be taken into consideration. This presentation summarizes all the key design constraints, especially those surrounding the thermal and seismic conditions, laying the engineering groundwork for safe dwellings that will be erected when we return to the Moon, hopefully this time to stay and thrive.
For the technically inclined who want more information on lunar settlement design methodology be sure and check out Benroya’s excellent book Building Habitats on the Moon: Engineering Approaches to Lunar Settlements.
And don’t miss our appearance along with Dr. David Livingston of The Space Show and Moonwards‘ Kim Holder at the Icarus Interstellar 2017 Starship Congress.
One of the biggest challenges of space settlement facing humanity is procreation off world. We simply don’t know if its possible for a baby to be carried to term in less then one gravity. There are obvious ethical considerations of simply going there and trying it out. NASA is studying the problem but until we have a variable gravity centrifuge facility in space that will enable us to determine the “gravity prescription”, it will be a while before we have an answer.
In an article in The Space Review, Fred Nadis discusses some of the medical challenges of human reproduction in space and why one company, SpaceLife Origin, who’s mission was to enable human reproduction in space decided to suspend its planned missions for “Serious ethical, safety and medical concerns …”
These medical unknowns about reproduction in any gravitational field less then 1g is the obvious attraction of O’Neill type free space settlements which provide Earth normal gravity. But the huge scale and investment necessary to build such large scale settlements puts this approach far in the future. Al Globus thinks a better way might be to start with smaller spinning habitats in low earth orbit.
Asgardia’s has a key scientific goal of facilitating the first human childbirth in space which they believe is a crucial step on humanity’s “path to immortality as a species”. In preparation for that goal, the organization is creating the first sovereign nation in space. A good introduction to their plans can be found in an interview with Dr. Lena De Winne, the Head of Administration to the Head of Nation of Asgardia, who appeared on the Space Show recently.
Artist’s impression of the first human born in space. Credits: Asgardia
The Pathfinders’ Guide to the Space Enterprise. Credits: The Aerospace Corporation.
The Aerospace Corporation has created a visually stunning chart called “Pathfinders’ Guide to the Space Enterprise” in which they provide a glimpse into the nascent space economy based on hundreds of ideas from over 70 world-class space experts condensed into seven core themes about how the future could unfold. The analysis, which is both deep and thought provoking, identified two critical uncertainties shaping the the future of space development:
1. The degree in which space will be “commercialized.” How much will space exploration and exploitation be designed to seed the commercial ecosystem?
2. The evolution and potential transformation of global power states. What space-based leverage points could change the terrestrial power balance?
Their hope is to “…inspire your internal adventurer to think about how space can and will play a role in the future and how we get there.”
Called “Space Nomad” the concept, conceived by Gábor Bihari at the University of Debrecen, Hungary and Thomas Herzig, CEO of Pneumocell Co., Vienna, Austria is described in paper available on Academia.edu. The elegant design takes into account the payload capacity of spacecraft of the near future and in situ resources available on Mars to arrive at a safe and feasible solution.
Artist’s rendering of a cross section of the Space Nomad habitat. This option of the settlement is made of several longitudinal inflatable tubes. The regolith ceiling protrudes to provide the proper shielding. The mirrors reflect sunlight into the structure all day. Credits: Gábor Bihari, Thomas Herzig
The main side wall is a tri-layer membrane with two gaps to provide insulation. The outer wall gap contains a vacuum and the inner one is gas-filled. The protruding ceiling provides shielding from radiation and protection from micrometeorites that impinge at high angles to the structure. The habitat is not completely closed as the design has a system for processing the Martian CO2 atmosphere, conditioning it for use by the greenhouses while producing breathable air and replenishing losses.
Artist’s illustration of the wall and roof structure of Space Nomad. Credits: Gábor Bihari, Thomas Herzig
A modified version of the habitat could be deployed at the Moon’s polar region as a preliminary step toward validation of the design before a Mars mission. Unlike the Mars settlement, this structure would have to be airtight and changes would be required to the mirror system.
Illustration of a modified circular version of Space Nomad as a proving ground for technology at the Moon’s polar region. Credits: Gábor Bihari, Thomas Herzig
Artist’s impression of the Milky Way as viewed from the Moon. Credits: Geoff Kemal Ruzgar / International Association of Astronomical Artists
Most space enthusiasts are familiar with the Overview Effect coined by Frank White which many of the astronauts who have made it to space have experienced: a spiritual cognitive shift as a result of seeing the Earth from space that increases some astronauts’ sense of connection to humanity and the universe. Now in a paper published in the journal Religions, Deana L. Weibel introduces the term “Ultraview Effect” which describes “…the parallel experience of viewing the Milky Way galaxy from the Moon’s orbit … that can result in strong convictions about the prevalence of life in the universe or even unorthodox beliefs about the origins of humanity.”
Weibel conducted extensive research based mainly on astronauts’ first-person writings, historical documents, and her own ethnographic interviews with nine astronauts conducted between 2004 and 2020. She explores a hypothesis that through space exploration, humanity’s increased awareness of “hyperobjects” such as our planet from space or our galaxy from the Moon, have the potential to be socially beneficial. This could lead to better collaboration, heightened creativity and set us on a more hopeful path for eventual space settlement.
Diagram of modular exploration system: pressure vessel, tertiary structures, power systems, EVA, and mobility. Credits: A. Scott Howe, Phd
At the 45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, A. Scott Howe, PhD presented a paper on a novel modular system for human habitation to support planetary and space exploration. The paper addresses the design requirements including mass and volume constraints to enable a variety of missions and environments. The concept was developed as recommended by NASA’s Evolvable Mars Campaign for a compact modular system and was assumed to be launched using the Space Launch System currently in the final stages of development. Howe settled on a horizontal module as the most appropriate with a single small diameter solution for fixed-sized habitats, expandable habitats, small rover cabins and a variety of other applications for both in-space and planetary surface operations.
Artist’s impression of a fleet of worldships on an interstellar voyage. Credits: Michel LaMontage / Initiative for Interstellar Studies
In the August 2020 Issue of Principium, Richard Soilleux summarizes current research on the feasibility of interstellar voyages via multi-generation worldships. The starting point is assumed to be free flying orbital settlements as envisioned by Gerard K. O’Neill that will eventually be tooling around the solar system way before a trip to the stars would be possible. The baseline for the analysis was an orbital space settlement called Avalon, the result of a complex study by the British Interplanetary Society called the BIS Space Project which took a fresh look at O’Neill’s smallest habitat Island 1, a settlement that would house 10,000 inhabitants.
Artist’s impression of the Avalon orbital settlement. Credits: Mark Hempsell / Initiative for Interstellar Studies
Much of the technology needed for an interplanetary ship like Avalon could be leveraged for an interstellar craft, but there are several challenges for permanent occupation over many generations as would be needed for a trip to the stars. For example, the ships would obviously have to be much more robust and reliable. Design lifetimes of 1000 years, as what is estimated to be needed, would require rigorous maintenance and repair schedules. Major periodic replacement of damaged or worn components and obsolete parts would also be required.
Soilleux’s analysis breaks down the key features of the settlement in terms of technology readiness and extrapolates to the interstellar case. One key element of the design is the environmental control and life support system (ECLSS). Avalon’s ECLSS does not need to be fully closed when voyages are limited to within the solar system as there are plenty of resources to replace nutrients and materials that cannot be recycled. Interstellar voyages are another matter all together and the study found that the recycling rate needs to be better than 90% for at least 36% of a material to remain useable after 100 years. This ratio would have to be significantly higher for an interstellar journey, the duration of which could be an order of magnitude longer. Soilleux concludes that “Recycling must therefore be managed carefully, and a detailed inventory maintained of all materials and nutrients wherever they are in the system.”
ECLSS technology is clearly one of the gating items for space settlement in the solar system and for journeys beyond. More information and research can be found in the Life Support Section.
Artist’s rendering of the TESSERAE concept, showing self-assembling multi-module space station in orbit around Mars. Credits: TU Dortmund Fraunhofer Institute in collaboration with MIT Media Lab via AIAA
In a paper presented at the AIAA SciTech 2019 Forum, Ariel Ekblaw and Joseph Paradiso of the MIT Media Lab described a concept for a self assembling space station called TESSERAE, which stands for Tessellated Electromagnetic Space Structures for the Exploration of Reconfigurable, Adaptive Environments. The innovative design constructs buckminsterfullerene (“bucky ball”) modules from polyhedral tile sets that utilize a smart sensor network to detect bonds and actuate electromagnets to facilitate autonomous assembly. The resulting structure approximates a spherical shape thereby minimizing surface area (and launch cost) for a given livable space.
In collaboration with MIT Media Lab and as a visiting student, Anastasia Prosina, now the cofounder and CEO of the space architecture company Stellar Amenities, had 3 weeks to design the interior of the habitat to make the most efficient use of livable volume taking into account human factors and minimization of weight for a crew of 8 over a 3 month mission. The results of her work is showcased in the Stellar Amenities portfolio on the firm’s website. Of particular note is how the design borrowed from Japanese architectural concepts such as “Metabolism”, a post-war movement that blended ideas from architectural megastructures with those of organic biological growth. Using Human-Centered Design and a combination of skills in architecture, aerospace and art, the company creates functional yet pleasing environments for space habitats where mass and volume need to be minimized. There is even a meditation corridor for serene self reflection in space.
Layout showing the location of the Habitation Core within a TESSERAE module. Credits: Stellar AmenitiesMeditation corridor within the TESSERAE habitat. Credits: Stellar Amenities
Update 24 April, 2022: Axiom Space’s Ax-1 mission to the ISS tested prototypes of the TESSERAE tiles in space. From the Axiom Space press release: “The prototypes launching on the Ax-1 mission include an extensive suite of sensing and electro-permanent magnets that monitor diagnostics – provide insight into the quality of bonds between tiles – and drive conformations. This scaled demonstration will build on previous microgravity evaluations of the TESSERAE experiment to explore a new frontier for in-orbit construction of satellites and future space habitats.”
TESSERAE in the ISS cupola — photo taken during the Axiom-1 mission. Credits: Ax-1 crew/ISS
Dr. Ekblaw provides and update on the Ax-1 mission at about 3 minutes into this Axiom Space Video.
