Homes in space part 2: Planetary bases...

Things have been pretty exciting for space fans, with the successful deployment of the new BEAM habitat on the International Space Station....

... and SpaceX landing its third consecutive reusable booster (it's fourth in total)...

But... what if you’re away from Earth and don't feel like camping out in the big black? Well, bases on the surfaces of some of the more nearby worlds have been designed and proposed for decades - and are slowly looking more of a question of 'when' than 'if'….

Moonbase:

ESA is currently trumpeting the idea of a 3D printed Moonbase, made at least partly from the lunar soil. Habitat modules – and you could use the exact same types of module used to build space stations - would be buried beneath meters of lunar dirt to provide radiation protection. The prime site for such a base would be at the lunar poles: That would put it close to places of scientific interest (like the valleys of eternal shadow), and close to mountain tops that get almost nonstop sunlight. That would give the base an abundant power supply, and the ices frozen in the dark valleys would allow the base to experiment with producing their own water, oxygen, and fuel. 

Above: An artists impression of ESA's proposed 'Moon Village'. Courtesy of ESA.

Martian Base:

On Mars ice is abundant near the surface in many areas, but the thin atmosphere is a pain: It’s thick enough to produce global dust storms that can block out the Sun for months (and plummet the surface temperatures waaay below freezing), making solar power unreliable – but it’s too thin to provide much radiation protection, or any real help in landing a spacecraft big enough to carry people. And, because the launch windows to and from Mars are so far apart, a Mars base will have to be built as apart of any attempt to and people there: They will be there for months at least. 

Above: Artists impression of a Martian outpost, courtesy of NASA.

For a larger base on the Moon or Mars you could look to their networks of tunnel like lava tubes. These tunnels, carved out by ancient lava flows, can be nearly a mile across, and would provide protection for a small city, even from the fiercest solar storms….

Venus Base:

An artist's impression of a Venusian base, courtesy of Xmadedx

This idea was floated*** decades ago: Although the surface of Venus is much like one of the less salubrious suburbs of hell, there is a layer in the atmosphere, about seventy kilometers up, where the temperature and air pressure are compatible with liquid water and human life, radiation levels are tolerable, and the gravity is 90% of Earth-normal.  

In the Venusian atmosphere breathable air is a lifting gas, so a light weight dwelling full of Earth-normal air will simply… hang there. In fact, this layer of Venus atmosphere is actually the friendliest spot for humans in the whole solar system: It holds fewer challenges to overcome than even Mars.  

If this sounds a little like something from Star Wars that’s because it’s exactly like Bespin city from Empire Strikes Back – but it could really be built, no sci-fi antigravity needed (and no CGI either, thank god)...



There would still be the teensy problem of all the acid clouds to overcome, but humankind has been protecting our structures from corrosion for centuries. And probes sent to hover on balloons through the Venusian clouds have held up pretty well.

The inhabitants of such a place would probably be scientists studying the planet below – from an aerostat home they could remote control robots on the surface, trying to unlock Venus’s mysteries. There’re also plenty of unusual chemical phenomena in the acid rain clouds. So, if you’d like to drift off to the sound of (battery acid strength) rain on you window, head for Venus.
Next: Homes for the far future: Terraformed planets,Torus’s, O’niell cylinders, and ring worlds..
 

Want to get direct links to our sources, and to stories we didn't have time to write about? Then you might like to subscribe to the Ancient Solar System News Round Up...

* indicates required

Email Address *

Last Name

First Name

A couple of really cool videos....

It's a pretty exciting time for fans of the newspace startups, and to show you what I mean here're three recent video clips.

First: SpaceX has landed a re-usable Falcon 9 rocket for the fourth time, the third time consecutively. It's no longer groundbreaking, and that's why it's brilliant: They're building up a record of success, which s what they really need to prove to the world that their re-usable rockets can be relied upon, and can genuinely bring the cost of reaching space down. Here's the mission as seen by the rockets onboard camera... 

Meanwhile, on the International Space Station, an new room has been installed: The BEAM module was designed and built by Bigelow Aerospace as a demonstrator for technology that they hope will kickstart a new age of in space building. The module is inflatable, held up by bladders filled with gas rather than solid struts. That means it can literally be launched folded up like a tent*, which means a huge saving in weight and space. Here's the time lapse video of it being installed...

After a nerve wracking false start on Thursday, when the module seemed to be stuck, on Saturday they were able to get it fully expanded.....

People are working - and succeeding - in bring down the cost of getting to space, and the cost of building in space... and now I can't wait to see what the future brings! 

Above: A graphic of Bigelow's proposed B330 space station.

* Not literally like a tent, because I'm a Scout leader and know  tents are often packed by shoving them brutally into backpacks and sitting on them, unless I stand there and make them do it properly. Ahem. I mean that the BEAM was folded up.

Homes in space, part 1: Space stations...

Apologies if you notice some issues with formatting ad spacing - I'm loosing to my own html at the moment, but I'm working on it!

It’s an exciting time for fans of expanding human presence into the soar system: Orbital ATK, who build cargo ships for the ISS, have announced preliminary plans to build a deep space station. Bigelow aerospace have their groundbreaking inflatable space habitat attached to the ISS undergoing testing. The ISS itself is no longer a half built techno turkey but a scrumptious techno roast dinner with all the trimmings: It has served as a launch site for miniature space satellites, a destination for space tourists, boasting its own gym, internet connections, cupola, and masses of experiments going on. Spacecraft from across the world dock regularly to bring fresh crew, supplies, and experiments.

Above: The International Space Station. Tastes great with gravy, mm-mmm.

But what about the future of humans in space? There’re no guarantees the spectacular visions folks like Robert Bigelow and Elon Musk have – of a solar system full of human presence - will come to pass… but they’re certainly hard at work trying to make it that way.

Let’s assume they succeed, and in the late 21st century/ early 22nd century an interplanetary traveller needs a place to rest their weary, space suited, head. What are the options likely to be?

Types of space stations:

We’ve had a pretty few of these over the years – Skylab, Almiraz, Salut, Mir, Chenzou, and the ISS. Recently people are trying to make them more affordable, widen access, and get more people living and working out there. It looks like there could be three main types of space station for the 21st century: Hard hulled (like the ISS), inflatables (like the BA330 module Bigelow Aerospace is working on), or a combination of both types.

Hard- hulled space stations:

Until recently all space stations have been of this type – Mir, Chenzou, ISS - basically a big tin can in space*. OK, a very strong tin can designed to survive for years in space and support a continuous crew, run experiments, house space telescopes, launch mini satellites etc etc. But, on some level, a can filled with air.

Soft hulled/ inflatable space stations: 

 

Above: The BEAM module, depicted fully nflated. Which they haven't managed yet.

A new development, but based on an old NASA design called Transhab: These’re bouncy castles in space, albeit bouncy castles made of unbelievably tough material. The air pressure inside one keeps it inflated and rigid, and it’s launched folded up, saving a lot of launch volume. Using air pressure this way also saves on the weight of a traditional support structure.

Bigelow Aerospace has launched two prototype inflatable stations – Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, as well as its BEAM module on the ISS. Genesis 1 and 2 performed very well – in fact both are still in orbit and pressurised today. This looks like a real possibility for the next few decades or space exploration.

Above: Bigelow's Genesis 1 space habitat.

A combined design:

In theory a prototype of this, using both hard shelled and inflatable modules, already exists in the form of the ISS with BEAM attached – and until the inflatable designs have really proven themselves this is probably how they will be used... 

That’s the technology available – what about the all important location? 

Above: The inside of a Genesis module, fully inflated, with people's photo's (and trinkets they sent into space) floating about.

Possible Locations:

Earth orbit: 

Being sited near Earth has it’s advantage… and it’s perils. On the pro side:

• A station in Earth orbit can be powered by solar panels.
• Should anything bad happen it’s short journey back to the safety of Earth – the ISS and most other stations have at least one man rated space craft docked at all times, to act as a life boat should aliens attack, someone crash into the station**, or a storm of space debris threaten to tear the place to splinters.
• Being close to Earth also means that the station can take advantage of the Earth’s magnetic field. Cosmic radiation can seriously ly increase a persons risk of cancer. Earth’s magnetic bubble diverts the worst of this.

On the con side…

• Have you seen that movie about the storm of space debris that chews up everything in orbit? Well, that’s not the far fetched nightmare scenario you might hope it is, although such a chain reaction wouldn’t happen that fast: Near Earth space is pretty crowded these days, and what it’s crowded with dead satellits and pieces of satellites, whizzing along at 11 km/sec. Satellites have been blown apart by it, the ISS has had it’s reinforced windows damaged.  

Space agencies track the larger pieces, and space stations often have to manoeuvre to avoid anything that’s going to come too close.

Above: The cracked ISS window that probaby caused Tim Peake to change his sace underwear.

Space stations between the Earth and Moon:

Above: A Cygnus freight ship, the proposed base unitfor Orbital ATK's space station.

An idea that is being seriously looked at, and might well get built. The two most often proposed sites are at a Lagrange point between Earth and the Moon, and in orbit about the Moon. A Lagrange point is a place where the gravitational pull of two objects cancel out, creating a zone where objects can sit without needing to orbit anything. That makes navigating and docking to a station sited there a lot simpler, and also makes the station a convenient point to store fuel and other supplies for missions deeper into space. Orbital ATK is proposing to build such a station from two of it’s Cygnus freighters, which would be loaded with goods as they left Earth. Such a space station could also be used to conduct better microgravity experiments, and as a safe refuge if a Lunar mission ran into trouble a-la Apollo 13.

A graphic of Orbitals proposed lunar station. Courtesy of Orbital ATK.

But the big question mark over a Lagrange point or lunar orbit space station is the cosmic radiation problem we mentioned befpre. Protecting such a station tried before, and while there are a few potential technologies that could do it – from simply lining the walls with water tanks to a magnetic field around the station that would imitate Earth’s- none of them has ever been tested against a real storm.

Space stations around other planets:

If we look a bit further ahead, at space stations around Mars, Venus or other worlds, we need to deal with all of the above and new kinds of challenges: A station orbiting Venus or Mercury would need a beefed up thermal regulation system, to shed the heat from the intensified sunlight. Go much further out than Mars and your station can no longer collect enough sunlight without an unrealistically huge set of solar panels, so you’ll need a nuclear generator, or other more complex power source... but it will probably be a very long time before we have manned stations that far out...

Next: Bases on other worlds...

*Let me be clear: It is definitely  lot more complicated than that – lest some ESA engineer come to my hose tonight and slap me.

** This has happened- link here: 

*** I couldn’t resist, sorry.

 

Want to get direct links to our sources, and to stories we didn't have time to write about? Then you might like to subscribe to the Ancient Solar System News Round Up...

* indicates required

Email Address *

Last Name

First Name

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump on space exploration...

Hi everyone, family commitments and a shifting work schedule is making posting a bit harder for me this week and next, but I’ve found something a bit interesting to share...

Space traditionally plays very little role n the election campaigns of American presidents - to the point where they usually show little interest in space policy until they’re almost at the White house.
So it’s not a surprise that, when Aerospace America magazine sent around a list of ten questions on space policy to each of the presidential campaigns, only two bothered to respond. What has surprised me a little is who responded: Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump – Sanders has seemed much more focused on social policy, and Trump has simply said whatever would please his audience. Their replies are here.

Have a read: As always it’s sad to see that America’s space use and exploration are at the mercy of politics – look at what happened between the start of George Bush Junior's administration and now - but that’s the way it is.

Sanders gives far more in depth answers, showing a lot more interest in space exploration itself - the impression I get is that this is a topic he really cares about. Trump’s answers are much more hurried, and mainly are trying to divert attention to economics – but he voices support for commercial spaceflight. Trump is far and away the republican frontrunner, and space fans can take some hope from the fact that he responded, and showed some awareness of the issues.

Answers for Authors: How long can a human survive in vacuum?

Learn the ins and outs of pseudoscience, and debunking it: Read 'Escaping The Rabbit Hole' here.

Want to support the future science and engineering? You can do so through one of these charities:

Skeptoid media
The Association for Science Education 

The Smallpiece Trust
SATRO
Arkwright Engineering Scholarships
LabAid

The Space Foundation

So you're in an airlock, sans spacesuit, and in a few moments the outer hatch will open and ... well we've seen the films, and the TV shows: The moment that door opens you'll explode, or possibly flash freeze solid. Either way.. you're a gonner.



Let's be clear: This. Doesn't. Happen.

Nope.
First, lets look at the 'you'll explode' idea: By itself that's not completely crazy - in fact there was a tragic, and very, very messy incident involving a group of deep sea divers going from nine atmospheres to one -  but you're only going to get a one atmosphere drop, not nine*: You won't explode, because your organs and skin are too tough.

That doesn't mean the next bit will be any fun but it might just be survivable...

The airlock decompresses: Any air you're holding in will be pulled instantly out through your throat - so to avoid tissue damage vent everything gassy from yourself. And I mean everything: Any gasses in your stomach and bowels will also exit the premesis, carrying stomach and bowel contents with them at high speed.

So burp and fart as much as you can before that hatch pops, unless you're wearing brown trousers and like the taste of stomach acid.

All that means the only oxygen you'll have out there is what's already dissolved in your blood. If you're in really good shape you might get fifteen seconds of full consciousness, and maybe a few of total disorientation, before your pass out (link to NASA article on the subject). Maybe enough to save yourself**.

How will you do that, when you'll be floating in space? Actually... most airlocks decompress before the outer hatch opens. If the hatch does just 'blow' then, unless the airlock you're in is huge with a tiny door, the air will empty in much less than a second - not enough time for the gale to transfer much force to your body. Tying yourself to the handle of the inner hatch with your shirt should keep you anchored in place.

Sorry, you can't really get rid of the xenomorphs that way either...

So, you're in the airlock, the outer door is open and you've got eighteen seconds. But won't the cryogenic cold of space instantly freeze you solid?

This also doesn't happen.

Lucky you, no it won't: Space is a big nothingness - there's no conduction or convection to carry heat away, and you'll radiate heat no faster than you would on Earth.

Damn...this is getting both dull and smelly: You won't explode, be sucked into the void, or freeze. You may poo yourself. Will anything happen like in the movies?

Well...you'll swell up, although not so much you can't move. Some animals go temporarily blind but there're no reports I've found of that happening to humans. After your fifteen or so seconds you'll pass out - but that's not the point you die: Your heart will carry on beating for about three minutes: Animal experiments*** suggest you'll recover if you get repressurised before your heart stops.

What should you do once the hatch is open?

Astronauts agree : Wearing a space suit is the key factor.

Airlocks without a mechanism to let the occupant shut the outer hatch and re-pressurise them wouldn't make sense: An inbound traveller couldn't get in. So...

• If you've gotten spaced by accident I'd thoroughly recommend just shutting the airlock hatch and pressing the re-pressurising control. 
• If your airlock is broken you've got fifteen to twenty seconds to get out and reach another. Incidentally, Dave Bowman from the film 2001 pulls this off somwhat realistically, as he's hunted by HAL the insane computer.

Above: Time it with a stopwatch - he actually would have pulled this off (as far as my research can tell)


• If you've been spaced deliberately, and your would-be assassin got his knowledge from movies.... I suggest just re-pressurising the airlock and kicking his teeth down his throat.
• If you're being spaced by someone who can override all the ships airlocks... then, frankly, I'm out of ideas. Float to the window nearest to them and use your last few seconds to shove your bum against it?

On the whole I suggest putting ' get exposed to vacuum' on your list of things not to let happen. But, should you make that particular mistake^... Stay calm, brace up, be ready to shut that hatch and hit that re-pressurise control - you should make it.



* Even so, it won't be fun and it could be very messy in... other ways.

** I've heard it suggested that forcing yourself to hyperventillate and load your blood stream with O2 just beforte you exhale might help (although, as far as I know, that's never been tested). Slowing your heartbeat probably would, as it would slow the passage of de-oxygenated blood to your brain.

*** Yes that's a mean thing to do to an animal - please don't write to me telling me that, I never said I approved.

**** Unless the airlock is just for throwing people out of.

^ HOW have you managed to make that particular mistake?