Space station

A space station project of this level requires a very thorough development of the entire concept, affecting not only the structure of the future facility itself, but also a set of measures necessary for the successful functioning of the station as such, in such specific and extreme conditions as space. Moreover, the problems of space environment in advance very much constrains the whole fantasy of future construction, due to the technological complexity of many structural units and elements for space objects and the banal lack of effective technologies to solve a number of problems even in our time.

The development of the station began, first of all, with the search for a location suitable for the location of such a facility. The most important question of choosing a location is where the future station will be able to stay at least relatively calm, without moving or expending any forces to stabilize its position in space. Such a variant in general is already known to people, and it is connected with the Lagrange points - certain places in the system of any two planets, where their gravitational forces are equal and compensated by each other, from what any object in this zone is able to keep a relatively stable position. There are 5 such points in each pair of planets, in the Earth-Moon system the most favorable for the space station is position L1, located directly between the Earth and the Moon, at a distance of 315000 kilometers from the Earth. The point L1, is considered to be not very stable, and the gravitational forces in it are constantly transforming, from which for any object planning to stay there for a long time, maneuvering engines are needed to correct the circumference. However, this point is practically protected from space debris and large asteroids, which is certainly advantageous for locating large structures there.

Having decided on the location, it is now necessary to deal with the most serious questions about the station as a whole. These are questions about gravity and radiation. In the project, it was decided to use a nonclassical way of addressing these issues, which had the most important impact on all aspects of the future station. The most popular and persistent in the mind is the way to create artificial gravity - a rotating torus. But this method has a number of weighty drawbacks: the dimensions of the necessary "ring" for functioning, the specifics of the inner space, some physical laws that complicate human adaptability to such conditions of existence. And, of course, the question of the colossal radiation exposure of the structure remains open.

The method I decided to address in my development was inspired by the experiments of Andre Geim and Michael Berry in 1997, who made a frog under the action of a powerful electromagnetic field levitate in the air. In short, the frog was able to levitate due to the action of the so-called diamagnetic response. All substances are inherently diamagnetic in one way or another. That is, they tend to push out of permanent magnetic fields. And this very magnetic field can serve for us as a gravitational field.

If in Earth conditions the diamagnetic response, resisting the field, generated weightlessness, then, in the conditions of space weightlessness, it will work on the contrary to create gravity. It is important to observe only one main point: it is not enough to create a strong electromagnetic field in space, it must be inhomogeneous. An object entering a magnetic field that is denser on one side and less dense on the other will tend to leave the denser magnetic environment with a diamagnetic response. And if you create a similar vertical system, where the denser magnetic medium is at the top, then the object falling into it will be pushed down to the more rarefied part of the field, which will create artificial gravity.

As a result, this structure for functioning should take a form of a cylinder with external winding of different frequency (actually, an electric coil of large size), so that the denser part of the magnetic field is generated at the top. And then a person, getting inside the cylinder, will be pressed to the bottom of the cylinder by a diamagnetic response of his own body to the externally applied magnetic field.

Moreover, this method not only solves the issue of gravity at the station, but also solves the issue of radiation. If the internal magnetic guides will help in generating gravity, the external guides are able to change the fluxes of radioactive particles, making them "bypass" the magnetic field with the station inside. Just as the magnetic field of a planet, such as the Earth, protects it from solar radiation.

But, instead of creating a huge "coil", it was decided to use charged carbon dioxide ions as a way to generate a magnetic field. Unlike electricity flowing in wires, the movement of air ions is not subject to such a strong resistance in the conductor, it is easier to accelerate these particles, and it is easier to build such a structure. It is enough to build several closed rings, in which the ions will move in a circle under pressure.

In total, we have solved the two most important difficulties of space: the absence of gravity and radiation. Moreover, inside the created system, the Earth's laws of gravity now work, which means that all architectural and structural solutions for creating the station itself can be used exactly the same as on Earth, with adjustments for the external environment of space, namely temperature fluctuations and the lack of oxygen.

Regarding the construction of the station, it is a simple metal frame, triangular in shape, on which absolutely all modules of the station are mounted. The frame is assembled in outer space, all the modules of the rooms are brought to the site and simply mounted on it.

All rooms of the station are divided between modules. There are several typical modules: standard units, transitions, vertical communication modules. Each module is sized to be assembled on the ground and shipped to the site of the future station in a finished state, without taking up much space in the cargo spacecraft, which will greatly simplify transportation. Each module is connected to each other through a special hermetically sealed docking unit. All life-support systems (air, water, waste discharge, space heating and cladding) are located in the floors and under the ceiling of the modules and are connected to each other in a single system. Wastes are discharged to a special technical floor at the bottom of the station, where all types of waste are collected and periodically taken from the station for disposal. All modules are equipped with a thermoregulation system, located in the walls, which protects the modules from overheating and overcooling by diverting heated or cooled liquid through a system of pipes.

On the upper floors of the plant are all the engineering systems responsible for electricity, air, maintenance of the "rings," and all the stores of stocks of expendable substances.

Below all technical floors is the station control floor, where all station personnel work. This floor controls the condition of the station, makes all decisions on its management, controls the docking of ships and other administrative work. Below there are four floors with direct living quarters.