Difference between revisions of "Stanford Torus"
(Stanford Torus is a ring/donut shaped space station a bit over 1 mile wide (or larger) that spins to generate centripetal force to simulate gravity for the residences living in it. Enough space is provided for agriculture and industry too.) |
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| − | Summarized from wikipedia: | + | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_torus Summarized from wikipedia] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_torus published under the Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 Creative Commons license]. |
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The Stanford torus is a proposed NASA design for a space habitat capable of housing 10,000 to 140,000 permanent residents proposed during the 1975 NASA Summer Study, conducted at Stanford University. The Stanford torus is a ring-shaped rotating space station, previously proposed by Wernher von Braun and Herman Potočnik. | The Stanford torus is a proposed NASA design for a space habitat capable of housing 10,000 to 140,000 permanent residents proposed during the 1975 NASA Summer Study, conducted at Stanford University. The Stanford torus is a ring-shaped rotating space station, previously proposed by Wernher von Braun and Herman Potočnik. | ||
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'''Construction''' | '''Construction''' | ||
| − | The torus | + | The torus requires nearly 10 million tons of mass. Construction would use materials extracted from the Moon and sent to space using a mass driver. A mass catcher at L2 would collect the materials, transporting them to L5 where they could be processed in an industrial facility to construct the torus. Only materials that could not be obtained from the Moon would have to be imported from Earth. Asteroid mining is an alternative source of materials.[9] |
General characteristics | General characteristics | ||
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Proposed Location: Earth–Moon L5 Lagrangian point (Traveller proposals would be in many systems). | Proposed Location: Earth–Moon L5 Lagrangian point (Traveller proposals would be in many systems). | ||
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Total mass: 10 million tons (including radiation shield (95%), habitat, and atmosphere) | Total mass: 10 million tons (including radiation shield (95%), habitat, and atmosphere) | ||
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Diameter: 1,790 m (1.11 mi) | Diameter: 1,790 m (1.11 mi) | ||
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Circumference: 5,623.45 m (3.49 mi) | Circumference: 5,623.45 m (3.49 mi) | ||
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Habitation tube diameter: 130 m (430 ft) | Habitation tube diameter: 130 m (430 ft) | ||
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Spokes: 6 spokes of 15 m (49 ft) diameter | Spokes: 6 spokes of 15 m (49 ft) diameter | ||
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Rotation: 1 revolution per minute | Rotation: 1 revolution per minute | ||
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Radiation shield: 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) thick raw lunar soil | Radiation shield: 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) thick raw lunar soil | ||
Revision as of 02:14, 4 July 2023
Summarized from wikipedia published under the Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 Creative Commons license.
The Stanford torus is a proposed NASA design for a space habitat capable of housing 10,000 to 140,000 permanent residents proposed during the 1975 NASA Summer Study, conducted at Stanford University. The Stanford torus is a ring-shaped rotating space station, previously proposed by Wernher von Braun and Herman Potočnik.
It consists of a doughnut-shaped ring 1.8+ km in diameter and rotates once per minute to provide between 0.9 g and 1.0 g of artificial gravity on the inside of the outer ring via centrifugal force. Larger rings spinning a bit slower (so they are still 0.9 - 1.0 G) handle larger populations.
Sunlight is provided to the interior by a system of mirrors. The ring is connected to a hub via spokes, which serve as conduits for people and materials travelling to and from the hub. Zero-G industry is performed in the non-rotating hub and spacecraft dock there.
The interior space of the torus itself is used as living space, and is large enough that a "natural" environment can be simulated; the torus appears similar to a long, narrow, straight glacial valley whose ends curve upward and eventually meet overhead to form a complete circle. The population density is similar to a dense suburb, with part of the ring dedicated to agriculture and part to housing.
Construction The torus requires nearly 10 million tons of mass. Construction would use materials extracted from the Moon and sent to space using a mass driver. A mass catcher at L2 would collect the materials, transporting them to L5 where they could be processed in an industrial facility to construct the torus. Only materials that could not be obtained from the Moon would have to be imported from Earth. Asteroid mining is an alternative source of materials.[9]
General characteristics
Proposed Location: Earth–Moon L5 Lagrangian point (Traveller proposals would be in many systems).
Total mass: 10 million tons (including radiation shield (95%), habitat, and atmosphere)
Diameter: 1,790 m (1.11 mi)
Circumference: 5,623.45 m (3.49 mi)
Habitation tube diameter: 130 m (430 ft)
Spokes: 6 spokes of 15 m (49 ft) diameter
Rotation: 1 revolution per minute
Radiation shield: 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) thick raw lunar soil