posted on Mar, 7 2008 @ 02:50 AM
The aim of this section is to determine the manufacturing and agricultural processes to be conducted on the lunar space station. The processing is
determined based on an established criteria.
This criteria acknowledges the important aspects that influence space processing.
Fiberglass production, growing crystals, and space gardening are the selected processes. Each process is investigated along with the advantages
and disadvantages of conducting it in space.
Solutions are offered on the best way to handle any problems that are encountered with processing in space.
The processing section can have overlapping work with the life support section, but it is basically different from the other design components.
The other components' designs are necessary to complete a functioning station. The area dedicated to processing, however, is not required for the
survival of the station.
The functions of the processing area are to successfully complete industrial work and to aid in the overall space station support. This entails
producing materials to be used on the station, or in other places, and to conduct processes that would help the station be self-supportive and more
efficient .
After determining the criteria on which to base the selection, it is necessary to explore the range of possibilities. The range of processes that can
be completed in space is quite diversified. It consists of areas such as lifesaving medicines, communications, agriculture, metals, and science.
The knowledge of these diverse areas comes from previous space experiments.
It also comes from research that has been done on Earth to predict the results that would arise in a microgravity environment.
SPACE GARDEN:
The agricultural process of a space garden was chosen as the third process to be done on the lunar station because of its benefits.
The advantages of doing this fit the established criteria. However, the advantages are not just economical, and it does not even use lunar soil.
The main link to the criteria has to do with helping to set up the space station with a regenerative life support system.
In other words, setting up a space garden will help that station be self supportive in areas of food, oxygen, and waste.
This enables the station to function more on its own instead of relying on supplies from Earth.
Since the station is planned to exist indefinitely, its self- sufficiency becomes a major concern.
Not only will this arrangement be beneficial in the case of emergency barring transportation of supplies, it has economical and psychological effects.
Economically speaking, transportation costs will be lowered along with saving money by reusing products on the station. Psychologically and
nutritionally, the crew will benefit by eating fresh foods to which they are accustomed.
Environmental Control and Life Support for a Lunar Space Station:
The environmental control and life support system provides for a partial closure for our space station. Partial closure of the ECLSS is based on the
processes for closing the air loop and the water loop. A completely closed ECLSS is not possible at this time because of the lack of knowledge
concerning food development in space. Research into food development on our station will take place, but our crew will only be able to harvest a small
amount of food. Therefore, the re-supply of food is a must.
Air Loop:
The air loop begins with two externally mounted, high pressure storage tanks containing Nitrogen and Oxygen.
The gasses are then sent through separate lines to be monitored by two high pressure atmospheric regulators. The gasses are next sent into the module,
where they are mixed together in specific concentrations.
The concentrations are regulated by signals from an oxygen pressure transducers located within the module. Once the gasses are mixed, a control system
is used to keep module working conditions reasonable for the crew.
Please refer to the document if interested in the water and waste loop.
SPACE HAZARDS AND EMERGENCY LIFE SUPPORT:
In the design of any manned space vehicle or complex, a number of external and internal safety hazards that may endanger the crew must be considered.
In the case of a permanently manned space station, meteor strikes and prolonged radiation exposure are the primary external hazards, while the
internal hazards are generally associated with the equipment, experiments, and processes carried on board.
Any of the hazards stated above could lead to situations that would endanger the safety of the station crew.
Internal Hazards:
Equipment failure of any kind on board the space station could lead to potentially dangerous situations that would jeopardize the safety of the crew.
These potential emergencies include biological or toxic contamination, electrical fire, chemical fire, general life support equipment failure, etc.
The possibility of internally caused danger situations can be reduced by the use of detection sensors and alarms and by the use of functional
redundancy in the design of station equipment and processes.
In unmanned missions, the criteria for backup systems installed is cost effectiveness.
In manned missions, the criteria must be crew survival.
Radiation Protection:
Manned space vehicles outside of the geomagnetic field of the earth are subjected to the hazards of the unattenuated space radiation environment.
The radiation comes in the form of galactic cosmic rays from deep space and solar cosmic rays from the sun. Both sources of radiation present a
considerable health hazard to the occupants of a manned space vehicle, such as the lunar space station, if they are not properly protected. Inadequate
radiation protection can result in discomfort, illness and in extreme cases, death.
Galactic cosmic rays represent a continuous radiation background in interplanetary space and
consist of low intensity, extremely high-energy charged particles. They are composed of approximately 85% proton particles, 13% alpha-particles, and
2% particles of heavier nuclei.
The flux density of the particles between the earth and the moon is between 2 and 4.5 particles per cm2s-1 with energies of 108 to 1010 electronvolts
per particle.
They have an unprotected exposure rating between 4 and 12 reins per year due to their low flux (number of particles per unit time per unit volume) and
consequently are not considered to be a real danger to station crew members.