Construction and assembly of large space structuresThree aspects of the construction and assembly of large space structures, namely transportation costs, human productivity in space and the source of materials (lunar vs terrestrial), are considered. Studies on human productivity have been so encouraging that the cost of human labor is now regarded as much less important than transportation costs. It is pointed out that these costs, although high, are extremely demand-sensitive. Even with high demand, however, the construction of several large systems would warrant the use of lunar materials and space manufacturing. The importance of further research is stressed in order to establish the optimum tradeoff between automation and manual assembly.
Document ID
19810033842
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Mar, J. W. (Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Miller, R. H. (Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Bowden, M. L. (MIT Cambridge, Mass., United States)