Some Slides from the Space Studies Institute

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Some Slides from the Space Studies Institute

• http//www.ssi.org/slideshow.html

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• Low Earth Orbit Spaceport - The existing Alpha
  space station is fine for research, but we are in
  need of a space station optimized as a
  transportation node. An equatorial orbit may be
  best for supporting traffic to higher orbits, the
  moon, and beyond.

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• Solar Power Satellite - A SPS in Geosynchronous
  Earth Orbit is in sunlight 99 of the time.
  Unlike ground-based solar arrays, it can generate
  electricity continuously.

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• SPS Construction Base - Building Solar Power
  Satellites in Earth orbit will require massive
  orbital infrastructure.

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• Rectenna - SPS power is beamed to a receiving
  antenna or "rectenna" on Earth. The rectenna
  converts the energy back into electrical current,
  which is fed into the power grid. The power beam
  would be safe for insects and birds flying
  through, and would not reach plant life growing
  under the rectenna.

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• Reusable Lunar Lander - A crane offloads a
  habitation module from a lander. This lunar
  effort must proceed in a more sustainable way,
  for this time we are on the moon not for
  political purposes, but to do economically
  valuable work.

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• Using Soil for Protection - Lunar soil or
  "regolith" will be piled up over the modules.
  This will protect the inhabitants from both
  cosmic rays and micrometeoroids, as well as
  reduce temperature swings. As it happens, dust in
  a vacuum is excellent insulation.

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• Lunar Mining - A mining base powered by solar
  collectors provides the materials for further
  construction on the Moon and in Earth orbit.

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• The Mass Driver - SSI has built progressively
  more powerful models of the mass driver, a kind
  of electromagnetic accelerator. Such an
  electrical catapult could economically launch
  lunar material into space. Mass drivers with the
  same accelerating power as has been demonstrated
  in the lab can do this within reasonable lengths.

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• Mass Drivers Deliver - Electromagnetic mass
  drivers using solar power provide low cost
  transportation of materials to space construction
  sites.

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• Lunar Farm - The ability to grow food locally
  will be vital to economically sustaining human
  presences on the moon, on other planets, and in
  orbital habitats.

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• The Stanford Torus - This space habitat design
  resulted from a NASA-Ames/Stanford University
  summer study. It's a wheel 1.1 miles in diameter.