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Developing a Habitat for Long Duration, Deep Space MissionsOne possible next leap in human space exploration for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a mission to a near Earth asteroid (NEA). In order to achieve such an ambitious goal, a space habitat will need to accommodate a crew of four for the 380-day round trip. The Human Spaceflight Architecture Team (HAT) developed a conceptual design for such a habitat. The team identified activities that would be performed inside a long-duration, deep space habitat, and the capabilities needed to support such a mission. A list of seven functional activities/capabilities was developed: individual and group crew care, spacecraft and mission operations, subsystem equipment, logistics and resupply, and contingency operations. The volume for each activity was determined using NASA STD-3001 and the companion Human Integration Design Handbook (HIDH). Although, the sum of these volumes produced an over-sized spacecraft, the team evaluated activity frequency and duration to identify functions that could share a common volume without conflict, reducing the total volume by 24%. After adding 10% for growth, the resulting functional pressurized volume was calculated to be a minimum of 268 cu m (9,464 cu ft) distributed over the functions. The work was validated through comparison to Mir, Skylab, the International Space Station (ISS), Bigelow Aerospace s proposed habitat module, and NASA s Trans-Hab concept. Using HIDH guidelines, the team developed an internal layout that (a) minimized the transit time between related crew stations, (b) accommodated expected levels of activity at each station, (c) isolated stations when necessary for health, safety, performance, and privacy, and (d) provided a safe, efficient, and comfortable work and living environment.
Document ID
20120008183
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Rucker, Michelle A.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Thompson, Shelby
(Lockheed Martin Corp. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2012
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-26326
Meeting Information
Meeting: Global Exploration 2012 Conference
Location: Washington, DC
Country: United States
Start Date: May 22, 2012
End Date: May 24, 2012
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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