Original blog | Outpost among the stars: the past, present and future of space stations

By Mike Parks

The frontier is worth exploring, and space is the last place to be explored.

In many ways, exploration and long-term colonization of our solar system will be very different from the historic colonization of the Americas or the subsequent westward expansion of the United States. The space environment is extremely harsh, vast, and lacks local resources. We will face many challenges in space travel away from Earth.

Despite the differences, we can still look back to the 19th century American expansion to help the next generation of explorers. For example, previous pioneers relied on forts and outposts to provide shelter from the challenges of the 19th century. 21st century explorers may need something similar, like a space station.

Humans have launched and maintained several space stations, but many are still within the control of the Earth's gravity. The Soviet Union launched the Almaz and Aalyut space station projects, and then the Mir space station. The first space station of the United States was Skylab , which was in orbit from 1973 to 1979 .

The International Space Station (ISS ) is currently orbiting the Earth at a speed of about 27,600 km/h, or about 17,100 mph, with six astronauts from different countries stationed on board. China launched its first space station, Tiangong - 1 , in 2011 , but has not had astronauts stationed on Tiangong -1 since 2013 .

Many innovative experiments have been tested and verified on the International Space Station ( ISS ) , such as inflatable living devices, robots, drones, zero-gravity 3D printing, etc. These tools can be applied to the next generation of space stations. Russia, China and the United States have announced that they will plan to further improve the International Space Station ( ISS ) and Tiangong-1. Although the cooperation between the three countries is not so close at present, their cooperation plans will gradually emerge with the launch of the new space station in the mid -2020s . At the same time, the European Space Agency has been actively exploring the lunar landing plan.

There is no doubt that the next generation of space stations will be more advanced no matter how they are improved. But what can we get from space stations? They will exist for the next 100 or 200 years.

To answer this question, we might as well look beyond past history and look for the answer in science fiction.

Babylon5 , Deep Space Nine , The Death Star

These are undoubtedly the three most well-known space stations in science fiction. There are also some new ones, such as the ring-shaped space station " Space Station 5 " that appeared in Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece " 2001: A Space Odyssey " and the recent movie "Elysium". If you want to watch some comedy science fiction movies, try "Mystery Science Theater 3000 ". But for now, let's get to know these three space stations.

So how do we compare them?

" Death Star " space station introduction:

Size: 120km in diameter

Number of people: Approximately 2.5 million

Mission: Military Weapon Systems

It's from Star Wars , and its size is both awe-inspiring and incredible, and we've tried to replicate it. Some people have tried to estimate the cost, but opinions vary from a few billion to a few trillion dollars. A trillion with 21 zeros after it. The U.S. fiscal deficit pales in comparison.

From a technical point of view, building a super laser device will be the biggest challenge. It takes a lot of energy to send a deadly green ray to destroy a planet, and it is also a considerable project to generate and store so much energy. Maybe in the future our space station will not be so powerful but will be equipped with effective directed energy weapons to destroy some orbital debris and avoid possible collisions.

Another feature of the Death Star is the tractor beam , which effectively restricts interstellar smugglers. The tractor beam can control the spacecraft carrying materials and personnel to enter the Death Star precisely . There will be no serious accidents such as an out-of-control space shuttle colliding with the space station you are staying in. Will our future space stations adopt such technology?

" Babylon 5 " space station introduction:

Size: Length 8km

Number of people: about 250,000

Mission: Diplomatic Center

While the Death Star is a tool for war, the Babylon 5 is a space station for peace. It may be smaller than the Death Star . The design of the Babylon 5 was inspired by physicist Gerard K. O'Neill 's vision for a space station, now known as " O'Neill cylinders ". Giant engines built using electromagnetic bearings drive the rotation of the central axis, giving the inhabitants of the space station a sense of artificial gravity. Artificial gravity may be necessary for future explorers to avoid health problems, as long-term exposure to zero gravity is not good for our bodies. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly recently returned to Earth after spending nearly a year on the International Space Station and is now facing some minor but significant medical issues, mainly caused by the lack of Earth's gravity.

From an engineering perspective, the design of " Babylon 5 " is well thought out. It is divided into six zones, each with its own function. The blue zone contains command and control equipment, management, medical and docking bays. The red zone provides accommodation and entertainment facilities. The green zone is responsible for food supply and environmental systems. The gray zone is where the mechanical systems are placed, and the power generation equipment is placed in the yellow zone. Finally, the brown zone is where some manufacturing, maintenance and waste disposal facilities are placed. In short, it is a small self-operating city. Future engineers can refer to this zoning design model when designing larger and longer-term space habitats.

The " Babylon 5 " space station is positioned as a neutral platform where different species can communicate. Therefore, the environmental control system must be able to change dynamically and provide a variety of atmospheric environments to meet the needs of aliens. A monorail runs on the station's rotating track, making full use of the " O'Neill cylinder " model's zero gravity on the central axis. At the same time, the " Babylon 5 " space station is designed with a double shell to protect it from any damage, such as meteorites and some small debris. Although we may not need public transportation in our future space stations, protective facilities and efficient environmental control systems are essential.

Introduction to the Deep Space Nine space station:

Size: 1451.82 meters in diameter

People: 300 permanent residents, accommodation for up to 7,000 people

Mission: Mineral mining and oil refining

The last station, Deep Space Nine , is the smallest of the three. It was not built by us humans, but by the Cardassians . The original function of this station was to mine and process ore. Of course, DS9 must have a reliable and flexible industrial control system to be competent for this task. The layout of this station is also very reasonable, with the central area surrounded by two concentric circles. The central area is where most of the facilities are placed, including operation and maintenance, administration, commerce, industry and mechanical space. The small concentric space provides accommodation for the staff and visitors on the space station, while the outer large circle space and the huge tower provide the infrastructure needed for the spacecraft to dock at DS9 . Once again, a good layout is very necessary for our future space station.

With replicator technology, long-term residents on DS9 won’t have to worry about running out of certain resources. The ability to convert energy into matter means that if you want a hot meal or a brand new screwdriver, you can just give a voice command. Imagine giving an Amazon Echo a command and seconds later it 3D prints the item you want. This type of innovative product is proving to be very important. The thing that goes hand in hand with the space station is weight, the more weight you carry, the more it costs to get it into orbit. So with future additive manufacturing technology, we may have the option of not having to carry everything, but rather some virgin material and some pre-made replacement components.

Another unique feature on the DS9 station is the "holosuite", which allows you to experience a series of immersive virtual reality scenes without any bulky headsets. The "Holosuite" provides entertainment experiences for the crew on the space station, which is crucial for their mental health, otherwise they will feel trapped on a boring island. These facilities on our future space stations are undoubtedly very important not only for human physical and mental health, but also for the success or failure of the mission. This also shows that the space station is not only a scientific laboratory in orbit, but also should be our space habitat.

War, peace, commercial exchanges, the functions of space stations are diverse, but from a technical point of view they all have some similarities. So as long as we solve artificial gravity, tractor beams, directed energy weapons, advanced life control systems, immersive virtual reality experiences, next-generation 3D printing and some other technologies, we will be able to live in space stations for a long time. Now we are all very curious about which concept or technology can not only exist in science fiction but become a reality.