Re: Future Retro Space Station Designs.

On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:40:06 -0400, "Jeff Findley"
<jeff.findley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


It's not at all obvious that there would be funding for a LEO station to
replace ISS ....

True, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun speculating about it.
And it's entirely possible some engineers in NASA could cook up
similar ideas down the road.

.....Purpose built blocks. Remember how Skylab's deployable
micrometeorite/thermal shielding ripped off during launch? ....

Yes, although such a mechanical falure is not inevitable; IOW, if it
hadn't happened then, you wouldn't mention it now.

.... I think it's far easier to
stick your station modules under an aerodynamic fairing (e.g. like the ones
used for satellite launches) rather than try to make them bear the burdon of
their outer shell being designed for both aerodynamic launch forces and
micrometeorite/thermal shielding.



And while Ares V (with upperstage) may not have enough power (yet) for
lunar missions, I imagine it could put decent peices of hardware in
LEO.



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