Re: DIY space transport

Pete Lynn <pete@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>Even this seems to assume an inflexible pre-furnished module approach,
>not a bare shell approach that one then moves furnishings into. Kind of
>like buying a fully furnished caravan and then trying to attach it as
>one unit onto the side of a house, instead of buying a shell of a room
>and then adding light weight furnishings to taste.

The issue here is that the shell, structure, and hatches are
a small fraction of the total weight. Most of the weight is
systems and payload.

Even if we do reduce the cost of astronaut-hours in space,
we need to make their time usage as efficient as possible.
It is not cost effective, considering nearterm likely
orbital manpower costs, to fit out modules on orbit.
You still have to fly the systems to orbit in a pressurized
container, for many of them, and once you do that you might
as well make that container the module, and not have to
spend time moving stuff around and plugging it in and
debugging the wiring harness and cooling water plumbing
once you're up in zero-G.

If a magic vehicle appeared tomorrow with $100/lb launch
costs for payload inside its reusable shell, with a payload
of 250 kg or 500 kg, that cost tradeoff might be different.
But that's not nearterm credible.


-george william herbert
gherbert@xxxxxxxxx / gherbert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: DIY space transport
    ... >>>not a bare shell approach that one then moves furnishings into. ... >>>one unit onto the side of a house, instead of buying a shell of a room ... >> systems and payload. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: DIY space transport
    ... Kind of like buying a fully furnished caravan and then trying to attach it as one unit onto the side of a house, instead of buying a shell of a room and then adding light weight furnishings to taste. ... Not shell, structure, hatches, systems, and payload. ... It is not cost effective, considering nearterm likely orbital manpower costs, to fit out modules on orbit. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: DIY space transport
    ... not a bare shell approach that one ... >> room and then adding light weight furnishings to taste. ... > systems and payload. ... development money on dead end Apollo style habitat modules. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: DIY space transport
    ... > ago that argued that only large module space stations are ... not a bare shell approach that one then moves furnishings into. ... Why is furnishing a bare habitat shell in space such an onerous task ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Metal building
    ... any weather delays after the shell is up. ... Plus storage of....A house starts at $60 a sq. ... shop, you would have the work shop and office under the same roof, but ... Is there a cost advantage? ...
    (rec.woodworking)