Architecture for space habitats. Role of architectural design in planning artificial environment for long time manned space missions

The paper discusses concepts about the role of architecture in the design of space habitats and the development of a general evaluation criteria of architectural design contribution. Besides the existing feasibility studies, the general requisites, the development studies, and the critical design review which are mainly based on the experience of human space missions and the standards of the NASA-STD-3000 manual and which analyze and evaluate the relation between man and environment and between man and machine mainly in its functionality, there is very few material about design of comfort and wellbeing of man in space habitat. Architecture for space habitat means the design of an artificial environment with much comfort in an “atmosphere” of wellbeing. These are mainly psychological effects of human factors which are very important in the case of a long time space mission. How can the degree of comfort and “wellbeing atmosphere” in an artificial environment be measured? How can the quality of the architectural contribution in space design be quantified? Definition of a criteria catalogue to reach a larger objectivity in architectural design evaluation. Definition of constant parameters as a result of project necessities to quantify the quality of the design. Architectural design analysis due the application and verification within the parameters and consequently overlapping and evaluating results. Interdisciplinary work between architects, astronautics, engineers, psychologists, etc. All the disciplines needed for planning a high quality habitat for humans in space. Analysis of the principles of well designed artificial environment. Good quality design for space architecture is the result of the interaction and interrelation between many different project necessities (technological, environmental, human factors, transportation, costs, etc.). Each of this necessities is interrelated in the design project and cannot be evaluated on its own. Therefore, the design process needs constant check ups to choose each time the best solution in relation to the whole. As well as for the main disciplines around human factors, architectural design for space has to be largely tested to produce scientific improvement.     

Omicron space habitat—research stage II

The design presented in this paper is in response to the revolution in private space activities, the increasing public interest in commercial flights to space and the utilization of structures such as space hotels or private orbital habitats. The baseline for the Omicron design concept is the Russian Salyut derived space station module. Salyut was the first space station to orbit the Earth. Its unique design and technical features were what made the development of space stations Salyut 1–7, MIR and the International Space Station (ISS) Zwezda service module possible. Due to its versatility and the reliable operating launch vehicle Proton, this space module series has the potential to be adapted for space hotel development. This paper proposes a conceptual design of the space habitat called Omicron, with particular focus on interior design for the microgravity environment. The Omicron concepts address the needs of space tourism with a strong emphasis on the safety and comfort of the spaceflight participants. The Omicron habitat supports three inhabitants in nominal conditions (e.g., two passengers and one astronaut). The habitat provides a flexible interior, facilities and spaces dynamically transforming in order to accommodate various types of activities, which will be performed in an organically formed interior supporting spatial orientation and movement in microgravity. The future development potential of Omicron is also considered. The baseline version is composed solely of one rigid module with an inverted cupola for observations. An alternative version offers more space using an inflatable structure. Finally, a combination of multiple Omicron modules enables the creation of a larger orbital habitat. The Omicron's subsystems support a few days visit by trained passengers. The transport to the habitat would be provided e.g., by the Soyuz TMA spacecraft carried by the Soyuz launch vehicle in the early stage of Omicron's development, before a fully reusable spacecraft would be available.     

基于多相机的空间机械臂视觉系统

视觉系统是空间机械臂的重要组成部分,空间机械臂除开环控制外的所有工作模式都不能离开视觉系统的引导和辅助而独立实现。文章以建立满足空间机械臂实际应用需求的视觉系统为目标,提出通过分布在不同空间位置的多个相机的协同工作扩展并增强视觉系统的监视和测量能力,并从系统组成、工作模式、测量方式等多方面完成空间机械臂视觉系统方案设计。仿真试验结果表明,目标三维位姿的测量误差与视觉标记点检测结果的误差近似成线性关系,视觉标记点检测的准确性对目标位姿测量的精度具有重要影响。室内环境试验结果表明,在视觉系统的引导下机械臂能够自主完成对目标的定位和捕获,视觉系统满足空间机械臂大范围运动和精准操作任务的应用需求。     

积分球在实验室内用于空间遥感器的辐射定标

文中介绍了国外可见光实时传输型航天遥感器在发射前使用积分球对其进行大气条件下辐射定标的技术,得出的定标系数A用于图像的辐射校正。阐述了积分球的设计原理与方法。计算了内壁涂料光谱反射率、光源功率、光源分布色温以及安放位置对积分球出射窗口输出辐亮度的影响。设计球体达到的基本指标为:球体直径Φ=1600mm,开口直径φ=300mm,最低级识分辐亮度(0.45～0.52μm)时L=1.03W/m~2.str,最高级L=12.79W/m~2.str,朗伯特性(中心点)±30°内优于1％,开口面均匀性η=0.9％,辐亮度不确定度δ=6％。用该球对CCD相机定标,结果与用“6S”软件计算的相一致。     

The legal regime for private space tourism activities—An overview

“Space tourism” denotes any commercial activity that offers customers direct or indirect experience with space travel. Various models for space tourism activities exist including the use of an aircraft and/or spacecraft. The paper surveys some of the most important legal aspects relevant to space tourism activities, such as, the delimitation of airspace and outer space, the applicable legal regime and the definition of aircraft and space object, authorization, registration, liability, as well as the legal status of space tourists.     

A new setting for international space cooperation?

The year 2004 could be seen as the turning point for the realignment of international space cooperation for the 21st century. At the very core of this readjustment, the US space exploration initiative strives to define a new scheme for such a broad array of aspects as international scientific cooperation, the role of the space industry and the organizational framework for international space applications. This paper argues that the success of this new outline of international space cooperation depends on several conditions. First, the US initiative needs to demonstrate its long-term continuity and reliability for international partners, which will depend to no small degree on the future of the ISS and its utilization for international research. Second, international cooperation between industrial partners will continue to need political frameworks and depend on a balanced handling of know-how partnerships. Third, cooperation in space applications will need a truly international structure to further its global acceptance and outreach.     

Greenhouse design integration benefits for extended spaceflight

It has been demonstrated that plants can be grown in microgravity, and almost every space programme has included experimental greenhouses to investigate technical and biological feasibility, as well as the habitability-related benefits of plant growth activities in space.Aside from nutritional and life support system applications, these benefits include sensory and spatial enhancement of the spacecraft environment, both through the plants as such and the design of their growth chambers, as well as by providing meaningful occupation through individual interaction. In view of long duration missions, plant growth facilities should not be regarded as a desirable add-on, but as an essential component of the habitat.Following a review of existing greenhouse designs and plants grown on past missions, the paper summarizes the benefits of greenhouses and outlines potential forms of architectural integration within the spacecraft interior.     

GaAs PHEMT的I-V特性退化机理综述

新一轮信息技术发展背景下，砷化镓赝调制高电子迁移率晶体管在射频通信中的应用值得关注，文章对其I-V特性的主要退化机理进行综述并提出性能优化的方向和措施。文章通过分析晶体管的层结构及层功能，推导晶体管的I-V特性方程，建立器件物理层面的参量与电路层级的参数之间的映射关系，以此寻找其阈值电压、漏源电流及跨导等性能参数的退化规律。为使性能退化过程的叙述条理清晰，文章将主要退化失效机理划分为结构缺陷、电热应力和环境因素三个方面。为舒缓减轻晶体管的退化失效程度，文章从结构材料、加工工艺和电路设计等方面探讨性能的改进空间和优化途径。     

Threats, risks, and sustainability—Answers from space: Results of the ESPI conference

An initiative was undertaken by the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) on 10–11 December 2007 to shed new light on the various threats to long-term sustainability on Earth using an interdisciplinary approach. The main objective of this conference was to analyse how space could be a tool for prediction, management or mitigation of threats and risks in six sectors (environment, security, mobility, knowledge, resources and energy) defined by ESPI as the main areas for sustainability. For each sector, one (non-space) speaker from a think-tank covering the respective sector and two speakers from the space sector exchanged views and ideas in order to identify common needs for action to ensure sustainability in the field. Such a dialogue between sector specialist and space experts permitted a detailed examination of the way space has become a crucial tool in solving a variety of today's problems. It also identified areas where space applications could better respond to sectoral and future challenges.     

绳系卫星系统交会对接的应用与设计

文章介绍了绳系系统交会对接这项新技术在空间中的应用。主要包括:空间站利用系绳与航天器交会对接,实现为空间站提供各种供给;利用绳系系统与空间碎片对接,可回收或转移空间碎片,保护空间环境;利用一级或多级的绳系系统组成轨道转移系统,实现向地球同步轨道或火星轨道上转移和运送有效载荷。文章还介绍了绳系交会对接系统的设计,包括系统的一般控制方法和算法以及系统的结构设计。随着各项相关技术的发展,绳系卫星系统交会对接将发挥更大作用。     

大型真空容器结构设计中的有限元分析与应用

真空容器是大型空间环境模拟器的主体结构系统。文章在分析了真空容器系统结构及其设计方法的基础上,以某大型空间环境模拟器真空容器系统设计为例,探讨了有限元法在真空容器设计中的应用。工程实践表明,利用有限元法对大型空间环境模拟器容器系统进行分析设计,可以解决复杂载荷下的结构应力计算,优化真空容器的局部结构,提高容器系统可靠性和经济合理性。     

Is space an environment?

Expanding the human sphere of influence beyond Earth presents philosophical questions that also have important practical applications. Do we need to worry about the moral implications of our actions in the vastness of space? What kind of explorers will we be - and what kind of explorers should we be? The answers to these basic questions depend greatly on what moral status is assigned to space; how it is conceptualized. This article sets forth arguments both for and against considering space as an environment, that is, as a place deserving of ethical treatment in the same way that terrestrial environments are valued and respected in environmental ethics. It sketches some answers to how space exploration could meet high ethical standards and puts forward the notion of environmental ‘virtue ethics’.     

Radiation protection of astronauts in LEO

Radiological protection for space flights is often perceived as a technico-scientific problem. All this is the result of the effects of radiation encountered in space and manned flight conditions. The main characteristics of this radiation come from its complex composition and its large energy spectrum which must be taken into account as well as flux variations by both solar activity and the vehicle position on orbit. Inside a vehicle, structures constitute irregularly distributed shields and lead to a specific dose at each location. To be able to protect the crew, it is first necessary to understand the threat and therefore to identify the radiation environment: extraterrestrial and orbital. As the environment varies with both the orbit position and time, the dose received in each critical organ during missions must be determined and compared with acceptable limits. To counter the threat, which may exceed acceptable limits, a strategy is required, including the complementary aspects of prevention, detection, protection and possibly treatment.     

Biomedical support of man in space

In its broadest sense, biomedical support of man in space must not be limited to assisting spacecraft crew during the mission; such support should also ensure that flight personnel be able to perform properly during landing and after leaving the craft. Man has developed mechanisms that allow him to cope with specific stresses in his normal habitat; there is indisputable evidence that, in some cases, the space environment, by relieving these stresses, has also allowed the adaptive mechanisms to lapse, causing serious problems after re-entry. Inflight biomedical support must therefore include means to simulate some of the normal stresses of the Earth environment. In the area of cardiovascular performance, we have come to rely heavily on complex feedback mechanisms to cope with two stresses, often combined: postural changes, which alter the body axis along which gravitational acceleration acts, and physical exercise, which increases the total load on the system. Unless the appropriate responses are reinforced continuously during flight, crew members may be incapacitated upon return. The first step in the support process must be a study of the way in which changes in g, even of short duration, affect these responses. In particular we should learn more about effects of g on the "on" and "off" dynamics, using a variety of approaches: increased acceleration on one hand at recumbency, immersion, lower body positive pressure, and other means of simulating some of the effects of low g, on the other. Once we understand this, we will have to determine the minimal exposure dose required to maintain the response mechanisms. Finally, we shall have to design stresses that simulate Earth environment and can be imposed in the space vehicle. Some of the information is already at hand; we know that several aspects of the response to exercise are affected by posture. Results from a current series of studies on the kinetics of tilt and on the dynamics of readjustment to exercise in different postures will be presented and discussed.     

航天器空间辐射效应分析技术现状与思考

文章梳理了面向航天器总体设计的空间辐射效应分析技术现状,重点归纳了航天器空间辐射效应分析中需关注的总剂量效应、位移损伤效应、单粒子效应分析的要素、分析方法及软件工具,并结合近年来国际上空间辐射环境模型的最新进展,就辐射环境动态变化认知、在轨辐射风险表征、陌生轨道区域辐射环境影响分析等方面提出国内空间辐射效应分析技术的不足及后续发展建议。     

Engaging space: extraterrestrial architecture and the human psyche

The human fascination with exploring and inhabiting the space that lies beyond Earth's atmosphere continues to grow. Nevertheless, 40 years of experience to date have clearly established that humans in outer space routinely suffer significant psychological impairment arising from their stressful extraterrestrial living conditions. This paper explores those extraterrestrial conditions through the interactions between the extraordinarily harsh environment of outer space, the sensations that humans encounter in space, and the qualities of a habitat that physically interposes itself between the two. The objective of this paper is to develop a habitat that expresses the extraterrestrial condition while supporting the mental health of its inhabitants, so as to augment the success of prolonged extraterrestrial residence and interplanetary travel.     

A study on thin walled intersecting spheres

Intersecting spheres are useful in the design of pressure vessels for weight limited situations as in the case of space or ocean applications. This paper treats the general problem of N intersecting spheres demonstrating that mass reduction can be achieved in relation to the single sphere that encloses the same internal volume. It is shown that this reduction approaches asymptotically the value of 39.5%.     

A socio-economic evaluation of the lunar environment and resources: II. Energy for the selenosphere

This first of several study papers, based on a fundamental paper presented in 1972, provides an independent conceptual analysis and evaluation of the lunar environment as industrial base and habitat. A selenosphere system strategy is outlined. The underlying concept is that of one or several lunar industrial zones for resource extraction and on-surface processing, integrated with a circumlunar zero-g processing capability, serving markets in geolunar space. A classification of lunar elements by utilization category is presented. Lunar oxygen is a prime candidate for being an initial economic “drawing card”, because of its value for fast transportation in geolunar space, requiring significantly fewer ships for equal transfer capability per unit time than electric transports which, however, have value, especially between geosynchronous and lunar orbit. The reduced development difficulties of controlled fusion outside the atmosphere and its advantages for extracting oxygen and other elements in quantity are summarized. Examples of lunar cycle management as fundamental exoindustrial requirement for economic resource enhancement are presented. The principal initial socio-economic value of lunar industry lies in the use of lunar resources for exoindustrial products and operations designed to accelerate, intensify and diversify Earth-related benefits. In the longer run, lunar settlements are a highly suitable proving ground for studying and testing the complex matrix of technological, biological, cultural, social and psychological aspects that must be understood and manageable before large settlements beyond Earth can have a realistic basis for viability. The lunar environment is more suitable for experimentation and comparatively more “forgiving” in case of failures than is orbital space.     

基于空间机械臂的柔顺抓捕技术研究综述

空间机械臂是广泛应用于空间探索与实验的重要机电设备,柔顺抓捕技术为其执行主要任务的基础。空间机械臂柔顺抓捕技术主要分为结构设计与控制方法两个方面。首先介绍了目前已成功应用的空间机械臂末端执行器系统,分析了其结构与抓捕原理特点,说明了相应优势与不足,并给出结构优化的合理建议。然后介绍柔顺抓捕的控制方法在空间任务以及部分非空间任务中的成功应用,比较了其特性与优劣,归纳出优化的空间机械臂柔顺抓捕控制策略。本研究期望为空间机械臂柔顺抓捕技术的研究提供思路。