(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Reusable NewSpace: Crew Module, Part I [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-07-05 “There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” – Marshall McLuhan TABLE OF CONTENTS =<<>>= CM ARCHITECTURE The Crew Module (CM) is essential equipment when humans want to live and work in outer space. There have been many designs in the past few decades, Most CMs are capsules that utilize a heat shield to come back from space. Many other designs were meant to remain in space and refurbished to be reused many times. CMs were also designed to be mounted on a mobile platform. This would have allowed crews to reach other destinations operating from a space station base. The CM was also designed to fit inside the new Space Shuttle that was in development at the time. This is the reason most (if not all) CMs are cylindrical in shape. The CMs would have been attached to a rocket so that the crew could travel to destinations such as errant satellites and other space stations. =<<>>= CM AIRFRAME Our Crew Module (CM) is designed with echoes from past blueprints (Image 1) [Larger Image]. It will contain the standard list of equipment and machinery. Image 1: a 1970s design for a reusable crew module STRUCTURE Outer Shell Load Carrying Frame Micrometeoroid Shield Insulation Radiators Panels Heat Exchanger Pumps Food Preparation Station Shower/Toilet ELECTRICAL POWER Batteries Regulators Junction Boxes Wires Cables Power Distribution COMMUNICATIONS TVs Audio Antenna Data Management INSTRUMENTATION Displays Controls Wiring Lighting MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Maintenance Hardware Backup Equipment The Environmental Controls / Life Support Systems (EC/LSS) maintains internal pressurization and humidity levels. It converts Liquid Oxygen and Nitrogen (LO 2 and LN 2 ) into gaseous form (GO 2 and GN 2 ) to make breathable air. Liquid water (LH 2 O) is converted to gaseous form (GH 2 O) and used for humidity control. We will use a Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) to "scrub" the atmosphere of Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) We will use the zeolite vacuum technique, where Carbon Dioxide molecules attach themselves to the zeolite material and then are cleansed by exposing the soiled material to the vacuum of space. The material is then reused. Lather rise repeat. EC/LSS Hardware LO 2 Storage Storage GO 2 Distribution Distribution LN 2 Storage Storage GN 2 Distribution Distribution Atmospheric Pressurization LH 2 O Storage O Storage GH 2 O Distribution O Distribution Internal Temperature Regulators CDRA and associated equipment CREW MODULE INTERIOR A professional interior designer will offer color pallets. The elevation of Spaceport America is 1.401 km above Mean Sea Level (MSL). The atmospheric pressure at this altitude is 85,081.3 Pa (12.34 pounds psi or 0.84 atm). This air pressure will be maintained inside the CMs as well. The CM will begin life as a core vehicle, with the cockpit in the front and the EC/LSS equipment and controls in the back, including four options available on each side (Image 2) [Larger Image]. Image 2: Crew Module options interior view The four side options include: 3 EVA Ports 2 EVA Ports plus Extra Storage Sensor equipment and displays Window The sensor equipment and displays will be used for science monitoring, etc. The sensor displays and the window are of the same approximate mass, and is counted as part of the static mass of the CM. Image 3: Crew Module options exterior view The spacesuits will be connected to the EVA Ports outside of the CM. Astronauts will disconnect from the CM to float away or walk away, depending on the environment. Whilst on the Moon the astronaut will be lowered to the lunar surface via a cable attached to their suit, which is disconnected once on the surface. A shroud will envelop the spacesuits when not in use for protection from the sun. Since this should cause a permanent shadow situation where the temperatures will drop considerably, we propose using waste heat (if possible) to keep the enclosed area relatively warm. CREW MODULE EXTERIOR Once the pieces are put together, the CM will take the shape of a cylinder (Image 3) [Larger Image]. Our CMs will not only be cylindrical in shape but will be "stackable" to create a 2–level and a 3–level environment. A one–level CM will be abbreviated as CM1, a two–level CM as CM2, and a three–level as CM3. A rich variety of orbital and lunar missions become available because of the incorporation of the concept of reuse and commonality. The CM mass calculation is broken down into two parts: the static mass and the dynamic mass. The static mass is like the name implies; it is the mass of the CM that comes standard and does not change from mission to mission. CM STATIC MASS The static mass of each crew module "stack" is listed in the tables below. Pressurized Docking Ring 80 kg Outer Top Deck 16 kg Structure 1,049 kg Electrical Power 59 kg Communications 148 kg Instrumentation 85 kg Misc. Equipment 36 kg Floor 7 kg Outer Bottom Deck 16 kg Pressurized Docking Ring 80 kg CM1 Static Mass 1,577 kg Pressurized Docking Ring 80 kg Outer Top Deck 16 kg Structure 2,097 kg Electrical Power 118 kg Communications 297 kg Instrumentation 171 kg Misc. Equipment 73 kg Floors 14 kg Outer Bottom Deck 16 kg Pressurized Docking Ring 80 kg CM2 Static Mass 2,961 kg Pressurized Docking Ring 80 kg Outer Top Deck 16 kg Structure 3,146 kg Electrical Power 177 kg Communications 445 kg Instrumentation 256 kg Misc. Equipment 109 kg Floors 21 kg Outer Bottom Deck 16 kg Pressurized Docking Ring 80 kg CM3 Static Mass 4,346 kg CM DYNAMIC MASS The dynamic mass of the CM will include the following items: Spacesuits EVA Equipment EC/LSS Contingency Crew Food Crew Systems Image 4: An example CM designation The Dynamic Mass is determined by the number of astronauts and the mission duration (in days). The mass of the CM is calculated by adding together the static and dynamic masses (this will be addressed in Part II and Part III). The CM total mass will be designated using three sets of numbers: the number of astronauts, the number of spacesuits, and how long the mission lasts. For example, a Crew Module designated as CM3_12–10–42 means a three–deck "stack" with twelve astronauts and ten spacesuits for forty–two days (Image 4). There will be a total of 9 different production CM missions and designations. Additionally, there will be 2 temporary CM configurations, with 3 units of each produced. TOTAL CM MASS [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/5/2243906/-Reusable-NewSpace-Crew-Module-Part-I?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/