** THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION **

** Colonies in Space **


This is the 8 March 2005 edition of this page.

THE PAGE INDEX:-

Since this 'page' has grown in detailed coverage since the start, it now has its own index (with internal linkages) - the topics, at the moment being:-

i.e:-
T.A. HEPPENHEIMER wrote a book "Colonies in Space" in 1977 projecting to the provision of substantial 'colonies' based on USA's Space Programmes, Shuttles, Future Research etc - all with (supposedly) realistic timescales for widescale colonisation by the millenium and the First Constructions for the First Earth-Space-Colony by 1982..

At the present time, we are clearly well behind schedule..

First task was to find out "WHY?".

The next item to investigate was WHAT has been done so far and what is a realistic TIMESCALE for the future?.

The link-up between the Shuttle Programme, the Colonisation, and significant developments was found and TRACKED.

In earlier reports, that TRACKING of the project had been on a flight-to-flight basis. As from Edition 73 of this web-site, as with the SpaceShuttle pages, that detailed tracking has been replaced by an 'overall picture'. The relevant hypertext linkages are still given so that you can be kept fully up-to-date.

INITIAL INTERNET SEARCHES:

SPACEHAB, Inc., is the sole provider of habitable modules and logistics facilities for research and space station supply services on the U.S. Space Shuttles. Its subsidiary ASTROTECH is the leader in commercial satellite payload processing and launch services. The Company is positioned to be the continued leader in the commercialization of space..

The International Space Station's own Web gave the information of their conference on the utilization of the International Space Station, which was held in Albuquerque, NM in January, 1999. It was composed of a dozen sessions, covering all the research disciplines.



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FOLLOW-UP INTERNET SEARCHES:
AMES RESEARCH CENTER

It is abundantly clear that the project has been in full-swing for quite a time. The International Space Station, according to Heppenheimer and the 1975 Ames Research Center Conference, is a precursor to the colonies. It is only logical to attempt the ISS (International Space Station) with an experimental version first. The MIR Space Station was that experimental, experience-gaining, suite of modules for that purpose.

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MIR SPACE-STATION

The station consisted of seven modules:

Mir Core (1986)
Kvant (1987)
Kvant-2 (1989)
Kristall (1990)
Spektr (1995)
Shuttle Docking Module (1995)
Priroda (1996)

Cosmonauts flew to and from Mir in Soyuz-TM spacecraft. Supplies were ferried to the station in Progress-M unmanned spacecraft.
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REASONS FOR DELAYS
Meanwhile plans for progressive ISS configuration development are documented on the Internet quite well. So maybe we can now see the ANSWER to the apparent problems above.

ANSWERS

The Questions!!

According to our list at the top, the questions were:

WHY is the Space Colonisation so far behind schedule?

WHAT has been done so far?

WHAT is a realistic timescale for the future?

HOW can we keep TRACK on the project?

What is the linkup between this project and the SPACE SHUTTLE?

'BEHIND SCHEDULE' COMMENTS

The reason, I feel sure, from examining the proposals in the 70's, the comments by others on them and the responses - seem to indicate that the problems were:

(i) Costs were too high,

(ii) Feasibility was too low

(iii) Required too large a technical advance in many areas too quickly.

(iv) The flush of success from the 60's and 70's was still with them - and made their 'wish lists' too high.

Costs were thought to be TOO high when other problems on Earth were too pressing!

Nevertheless, it was deemed prudent to follow similar lines at a much reduced pace, the American public and NASA itself, coming up with a 'reasoned plan' with a 'costed' approach for the 'benefit of man'.

Thus, although the 'Colonisation' called for a very large implementation of the STANFORD TORUS, (remember the "2001 Space Odyssey?")

torus
the revised 'colonisation' will be by using an International Space Station in Earth Orbit - rather than the Torus in a Lagrangian point in the Earth-Moon vicinity. Thus, transport costs would be considerably reduced.

[Incidentally, the Lagrangian Point proposal was started by the American phycicist, Gerard Kitchen O'Neill, in 1974 (when he was 47 years old) - well, it was an old concept for science-fiction, but he gave it more detail. The Italian-French astronomer, Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736-1813) found in his calculations five such 'points', but only TWO gave stable (libration) points.]

Getting the more realistic costed plan in existence naturally delayed those published ideas. But read on!!

THE STORY SO FAR!!

First, an International Space Station needs an experimental version to start with to gain experience. That was called MIR - commonly thought just to be a Russian mess. Not so, Many countries were involved in that - although Russia 'took the lead'.

The station consisted of seven modules listed above ... and the experience gained there is useful for the current International Space Station. Many nationalities had valuable experience in its complex structure. Dockings with it were accomplished by Russian and American craft.
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The INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SCHEDULE

With the decommissioning of MIR (see below), we should see the building of ISS (The International Space Station). Well, not quickly - as its plan was to build quite a LARGE station. Early plans were to take 43 missions to build it involving many nations and the expected usage of the ISS should span 15 years.

Sure, the start was 20 Nov 98! The Russian 'proton' took the first bits up. That was known as flight 1A/R.

Then on 4th Dec 98, delayed one day by a problem, was the NASA launch of STS-88 taking up some more modules and pieces to add on over the following few days. Since then, the delays, reschedules, frustrations etc have continuously built up.

From this point in time, I feel that I cannot devote the necessary monitoring-time to continue to produce a sensible story. Their PROGRESS is, no longer, encouraging!!

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FOUR OVER-RIDING OBJECTIVES OF THE ISS:

1. To create a venue for world class, space-based scientific experimentation and research.
2. To create an infrastructure for the development of space-based commerce and enterprise.
3. To create senses of wonder, excitement, and exploration among the people of the Earth leading to demand for space-related education at all levels, in all countries.
4. To create a forum for international cooperation, thereby fostering world peace.

Their ISS WebSite. (I highly recommend it- even though, sometimes, it is very busy- Surprise! Surprise!!) also had a series of diagrams showing how it would build up from flight 1A/R, through all the 41 intermediate flights to the final configuration as completed by flight 16A in September 2005.

[However, I've since heard from a BBC2 documentary on the subject, that COMPLETION is due in AD2005! The ISS Website confirms this delay, which COULD be pushed back even further!] Two examples of intermediate configurations are the 4A and 2J/A shown in these links. Their respective dates were to have been August 1999 and June 2002 ( NOW looking like Nov 2000 and January 2005). HOWEVER, THE WHOLE OF THE NASA TIME-KEEPING SEEMS TO HAVE 'GONE TO POT'!! The complete schedule, together with dates, launching vehicles, nationalities involved - and the UNITS inserted are given in a file whose link follows immediately.

That schedule clearly shows the link-up with the Space Shuttle (in the American lead, International Space 'Colony') and other rocketry from other nations.

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MIR DE-COMMISSIONNING

Russia abandonned the station after its final experiments had been completed (August/Sept 99), and the International Space Station got ready for habitation. In April 2000, Russia planned to deorbit MIR, by having it all reenter at once, carefully planned so that no debris fell on populated areas (into the Pacific Ocean - although most burned up on re-entry). An announcement put COST as the reason!!
On 20 July 99, I found that the "Spaceviews" organisation were running a 'poll' on what to do with MIR!!
"Should the Mir Space Station be deorbited or kept aloft?"
I voted and got the response:
Your vote was "yes, deorbit Mir".
Current poll results:
Yes, deorbit Mir: 3010 (41.3%)
No, keep Mir in orbit: 4275 (58.7%)
Thank you for voting!
Return to SpaceViews Mir Home
Questions: jeff@spaceviews.com

So my view, although not in the majority, was the one that has prevailed. "You know it makes sense!"

Meanwhile, in October 2000, I heard that, with the ISS now under PERMANENT occupation, the MIR decommissioning will take place in FEBRUARY 2001 when it will be jettisonned into the PACIFIC OCEAN. What will happen is that fuel will be sent to Mir to permit its final manoeuvres.
Its report follows.


What was scheduled to be the last ever docking of a spacecraft with the 15-year old Russian space outpost Mir, happened perfectly at 5:33 GMT (12:30 a.m. EST) as the space station automatically docked with Progress M1-5 on January 27(2001).

The Progress, which has brought 2.7 metric tonnes of fuel, is likely to be the last ship to dock with Mir.

According to Yuri Semenov, General Designer and president of RKK Energia, the company that built and operates Mir, the Progress cargo ship's approach and docking with the station went off without a hitch.

The news, TODAY 23 March 2001, is of the re-entry and burn-up and the final-fireworks display from the 15year-old MIR Station as its remaining pieces fell 'on target' through the properly sequenced rocket firings earlier today.

(As stated above, - the Progress Rocket brought 2.7 metric tonnes of fuel for the 'burns'.)



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ANOTHER OPTION


Another American option was to build a 'Space Hotel' out of this Complex!!
It would have to be very expensive, - and require prolonged training for any 'amateur'
astronauts!!!

But::
Slow Ticket Sales For Mir
 by Yan Gamarnik
Moscow - March 6, 2000 - With tickets to the
Russian Space Station Mir on sale now for
several weeks, Valery Korzun, head of the
Russian cosmonaut corps, told the Russian
news agency Itar-Tass on Monday, "there
have been no offers for this from anyone yet.

                Not a single tourist is yet to begin training for a commercial flight to the Mir
                space station."

Itar-Tass reported Korzun as saying training for the first commercial space
tourist will only be undertaken if the candidate meets requirements for good
health, and is capable of paying for training sessions and the subsequent
flight to the orbital station.

                 No figure was given for the cost of the flight, but earlier reports suggested a
                 price tag of around $20 million was in the ballpark.

         Meanwhile, five cosmonaut crews are now undergoing training for the
         International Space Station, with two crews being trained for hand operation
         of spacecraft docking - should automatic equipment fail.
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NEED FOR BETTER ROCKETS ?!

In Nov 98, I received a couple of E- Mails from a person who has been advocating the revival of a couple of past projects for cheaper, faster and heavier loads in space-travel.

They are the Orion and Daedalus projects. The latter was promulgated by The British Interplanetary Society (1981) whilst Orion dates back to 1964. I may return to these projects in a later edition of this Web!!

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COLONIES IN SPACE??

Although we are "getting into the swing" with the building of the International Space Station, the media are not using the phrase 'Colonies in Space' at all. Instead, it is using the information about its future use (beyond a collection of research laboratories at a Research Establishment) as a 'terminal' for when trips (by man) to MARS are made later this century!! Good eh??!!
However, I've just found the expression used again in the following passage found in the BOEING web!

International Space Station Overview

Humankind's extraterrestrial "colony" of orbiting pioneers in science and technology will work on an International Space Station specifically designed to bring world-class research results down to Earth.

FIRST CREW MISSION ON RUSSIAN PROTON ROCKET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2R
Launch Date: March 2000?? - clearly NOT!!
Launch Vehicle: Russian Soyuz Rocket
Elements: Soyuz; Expedition 1 Crew
More Information: Mission Overview; Crew
Establishes first station manning with three-person crew: Commander Bill Shepherd; Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko; Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev.
Provides Russian assured crew return capability without the Space Shuttle present. Station begins permanent human presence.

Following missions will deliver cargo, gyroscopes and solar power panels to the station. Krikalev and friends will live aboard the station for about five months.

Here's an interesting future view - and a 'construction movie'

ISS movie

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RUSSIAN Support in SPACE

NOT EVERY visit to the ISS is by an American Shuttle.
Sure, most Russian Cosmonauts get to their work in a NASA shuttle, but 'supplies' are generally taken up, as non-human Cargo, in an unmanned RUSSIAN 'Progress' resupply craft. Indeed, nowadays you will find old 'Progress' modules used for dustman's disposal (the TRASH CARTS, if you are American!) vehicles for cheap atmospheric burn-ups when items are no longer required in orbit - and not worth returning to a ground base.
Multiple docking ports on the ISS make this comparatively simple. Management of this, and other facilities, keep the teams of Astronauts and Cosmonauts kinda-busy in this OUTPOST of civilisation. Many experiments and trials are also best-done in orbit!

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PREPARATIONS FOR SPACE-STATION ASSEMBLY FLIGHTS
With the launch several shuttles in the last two years, International Space Station assembly operations continued with Assembly Flight 2A.1. This was the first of numerous resupply flights by both American space shuttles and Russian Progress spacecraft to ferry equipment and supplies that will be used to build and outfit the station, as well as feed, clothe and shelter its inhabitants.

The Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the station. Discovery's seven crew members delivered more than 5000 pounds of supplies to be stored aboard the station for use by future crews, including laptop computers, cameras, tools, spare parts, and clothing. In addition, a U.S. crane and parts of a Russian crane were attached to the exterior of the space station for future use in moving equipment and workers around the exterior of the station.

An initial power test showed that Zarya can deliver at least 900 watts of power to Unity in its current position in space, providing adequate heating for the Unity module. A second power test was to have been conducted earlier, to see if Zarya could provide up to 1500 watts of power to Unity. Just prior to Discovery's launch, a third test will have verified a software update made to Zarya's computer, which would permit use of the module's small thruster jets for control.

You may well think that the astronauts and cosmonauts that are continuously 'on board' the Station for several months at a time would get bored with their 'inactivity'. Not a bit of it!! They are kept really busy at this 'outpost' in space. Reading the plans and activities of these personnel reveals their busy lifestyle whilst 'up there'. Much work has to be done between visits of the 'shuttles' and Russian 'supply ships'. They even have to pilot craft from docking-port to docking-port ready for the next arrival's parking-space!!

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VIEWING THE SPACE-STATION
When you enter the NASA site, which is constantly being changed in structure and content, you can take routes which enable you to get a timetable of night-time viewings from most of the world's large cities.

Cities (my nearest is Birmingham, England) are listed alphabetically and the format (currently) shows, for the ISS, the Date, Time, Duration, Max elevation, and the location of 'appearance' and 'disappearance'. Time is 'local-time' to make it easy! Most nights get a viewing opportunity. The "Johnson Space Centre" (JSC) provides the data.

From my place in Malvern - with its typically 'British Weather', I've found that getting up around 3am, although not a problem, doesn't guarantee a viewing. I've had several consecutive nights recently - and have seen nothing due to cloud-cover. Still, - unlike local total-solar-eclipses, the 33yr period between Leonid-meteor maxima - and many other rare astronomical events - there isn't very long to wait for the next opportunity with the ISS!!

Some nights, more usefully around midnight, the ISS enters my field of view in the SW at an altitude of about 10 degrees at about Magnitude 2 and moving anticlockwise round the sky, reaching about 43 degrees altitude at brighter than Magnitude 1 in the SSE, before rushing off to disappear 10 above the Eastern horizon down at about Magnitude 3. Total duration is a massive 5-6 minutes some occasions! It should be very bright once it expands to full-size in a few years time.

Nowadays, I only print out the "Sightings Schedule" when it contains a large number of entries for evening viewings. It then makes VIEWING a lot more pleasure - especially when the ISS rises to a high altitude - more easily seen from the garden or road - rather than through the constraints of a bedroom window!!!
Viewings are, essentially, when the ISS has a dark background, but is being illuminated by the SUN (having no light of its own!) - so typically it would be when either it is about a couple of hours after sunset or the same time before sunrise. Happy viewing!!

The best night's viewing, for me, was in February 2001 - when the SHUTTLE and the ISS were dashing round the Earth in 'convoy' at their vast speed a few miles apart, having separated ready for the Shuttle's rescheduled descent.

To find the details for your OWN viewings, please access the ISS sightings link!




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EXPEDITION TO, AND COLONY ON, MARS

The Americans have plans, which according to the HORIZON programme on BBC2 TV, on 18 January 2001, take up the old plans of the Russians (from the 50s and 60s) to make a manned landing on Mars.

The Russians would have spent a whole year getting there, one week on the surface - followed by a whole year for the return.

The American plan is to depart in 2018, on a 3 year mission, staying more than a WHOLE YEAR (500 days approximately) on the surface inside a prelaunched and deployed set of facilities waiting for them. In their scheme the journeys would only be 6 months each!

The reason for this long stay is to await the following astronomical 'lining up' of Earth and Mars, waiting for the Earth to do an extra lap of the Sun!! The predeployed set of facilities would include all the necessary hardware to make LIFE on the surface comfortable and SAFE. It would include an atmosphere generating facility and a return fuel manufacturing facility. It would also require very accurate navigational accuracy for close landings of all components.

The MIR and ISS Space-Stations are necessary precursors to this expedition as the combination of experiences of 'long times in Space' (14 months is still the record!) can be built up by all participating nations. A NASA team is working on 'crew-comfort' research. The necessity for 'keep-fit' activities in space will be paramount if the voyagers are not to suffer from Muscle and Bone degradation.

Protection from cosmic radiation particles has to be addressed. Their passage through the eyes and brain have been recorded by past astronauts. Their view is that such a mission is best done in the later stages of an astronaut's life!!

Furthermore, the module-by-module building of the MARS craft will be done at the ISS.




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COLONISATION OF SOLAR SYSTEM

In February of 2001, I received a series of very interesting EMails from one of my Australian readers, - and he is also a 'games player', a computer guy and a 'space enthusiast'. He has combined several of these talents, like me only more so, into Games design - for BillaBongGames - currently specialising in his 'biggy' called '6billion' which is a board-game for the 'Colonisation of the Solar System'!!

Here are a few references:-

Per Ardua Ad Astra

The Cassandra Prophecy

A Crude Guide To Solar System Travel Times

Go on!! They make very interesting reading. A great concept!!

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