Stanford-Torus

The Stanford torus is a hypothetical space colony, which was planned in the form of a space station for 10000-140000 inhabitants. The special design of an Earth-like habitat is to be generated in the annular structure by means of artificial gravity and sunlight.

History

The Stanford Torus was proposed in 1975 during a sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center summer study program, which was conducted at Stanford University to develop future methods for the colonization of space. The name Stanford Torus only describes this special design, since the concept of a rotating annular space station has been proposed long ago by Wernher von Braun and Herman Potočnik. In contrast to their relatively conventional designs that would serve as today's space stations of the research, the Stanford Torus would house an artificial earth's environment to enhance the cultural and arable land on Earth or - in the case of overpopulation, wars, natural - or environmental disasters affected the planet - to replace. In addition, the design should have an advanced industrial sector. The stated goal was a colony that is self-catering in the situation.

Description

The original draft for 10,000 persons consists of a torus with a diameter of 1.8 km, the per minute rotates once on its axis, using centrifugal force to an Earth-like artificial gravity between 0.9 g and 1.0 g in the interior of the ring to generate on the side facing away from the center.

A system of mirrors, sunlight is reflected on the ring. The ring is connected by spokes that are also home to transport for persons and materials with a center lying on the axis of rotation. In it, there is little or no artificial gravity; the center is therefore more suitable than the outer ring for the docking of spacecraft. Industrial equipment requiring gravity to be housed in a non co-rotating module that is attached to the center.

The interior of the ring is primarily intended as a habitat for the population. He's big enough to be a "natural" environment and then replicate resembles a long, narrow valley whose ends are bent upward and eventually meet on the opposite side to form a complete circle. The population density corresponds to a dense, detailed planned suburb. Other parts of the ring are required for agriculture and greenhouses (see hydroponics ).

The planned positioning in the orbit of the Moon around the Earth at the Lagrange point L5 would ensure that the design remains stable even without a regular, gas guzzling position correction at perigee.

Implementation

Overall, the study illuminates many details from construction to operation. The realization of a torus by the then plans would require nearly ten million tons of material. It was provided that the raw materials are obtained for the construction project on the moon and shot with a mass accelerator at a lower cost in space than would be possible from Earth. A catching device would brake the raw materials. From there, the load would be further movement towards construction site, to be processed in a furnace equipped with a solar Space factory building materials continue. Only material that is not available on the moon would have to be launched from Earth with a missile. Asteroid Mining was proposed as an alternative source of raw materials.

The feasibility of such a project to date is still science fiction.

Properties

• Position: L5 Lagrange point of the Earth and Moon
• Total mass: 10 million tons (including radiation protection (95%), habitat and atmosphere)
• Diameter: 1790 m
• Burrow diameter: 130 m
• Spokes: six spokes of 15 m diameter
• Rotational Speed: 1 U / min
• Radiation protection: 1,7 m thick shielding from lunar soil

Pictures

Cross-section through the living ring

Transport routes for the transport of material

Concept of a lunar base with mass accelerator ( elongated structure )

Exterior view of the living ring under construction

View of the habitat in the living ring

In the media

• In the science- fiction literature for many wheel-shaped space stations have been described, as Larry Niven's Ringworld in the novel, the space station 5 by Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick in the film 2001: was A Space Odyssey 1968 shown as well as in the novels by James P. Hogan ( The Two Faces of Tomorrow, Endgame Enigma and Voyage from Yesteryear ).
• John Varley's Gaea trilogy is about a Stanford Torus in orbit around Saturn.
• The space station Elysium is a Stanford Torus. The inner wall of the torus - ie the ceiling of the habitat - but missing.
• The Presidium level of the Citadel in Mass Effect corresponds to a Stanford Torus, which was apparently inspired by Donald E. Davis ' paintings.