A good use for ISS - Shuttle construction

Stormrage · 2005-07-17 19:28:18

Well i got this idea from Star Trek. It seems that the Federation build parts of there ships in Utopia Plantia (Mars) and send the bits to a space dock. There they put the pieces together and let the crew go off on there mere journey.

Why don't we do that? The ISS can have a really good use this time. We convert half of it into a construction zone by adding pieces that were built on earth together. That way we pass the nightmare of finding a way to get off earth with heavy load without using a lot of fuel.

We can then have a fully manned shuttle with no hassle.

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2005-07-17 19:59:59

That has been part of one idea in an original plan

1 To use the ISS as a long term space lab on materials science, biology and other low-gravity experimentation
2 Checking what can be done to maximize humans durations in Space, and long term exposure to space the longest stays have so far been Russian's with Musa maranov and Vladimir Titov's 365 stay in space on MIR
3 Using the ISS station as a launch pad for other missions and construction port for building future spacecraft
4 Making the station a commercial succes, experiments profitable and great international effort with many Space partners
5 Setting the ISS as a port for other space flights and a gateway for space tourism
6 Having the people on the ISS sation look after future missions and update future Infrared telescopes and fture Xray Space telescopes

However the ISS has become a problem, the station has gone way over-budget it had many flaws just check the ISS hard-ball thread. The station has not been managed well and the international effort has since been falling away. Added to that are the problems since the flaming Shuttle fell apart over Texas, and the US have been unable to put their people back into Space to finish off their space science and construction in their part of the ISS and ferrying Americans into Space.

Stormrage · 2005-07-17 20:13:47

The ISS is meant to be a scientific station. What i mean is scrap all the crap there planning and make it purely a shuttle construction station.

GCNRevenger · 2005-07-17 20:29:37

ISS as construction yard? No way.

Building a ship in space doesn't reduce the total amount of fuel you need to get to Moon/Mars/etc, in fact it actually increases it somewhat because you need orbital maneuvering fuel and many smaller rockets are less efficent then a few large ones per-kilogram. Thanks to Newton's laws of motion, for rockets of equal efficency, you still need the same amount of fuel if you launch two rockets with ten tonnes of payload or one rocket with twenty tonnes.

Until we actually have a space shuttle that really does work, that is one that is so reliable that it really can fly 100 times a year for half a decade without fear of failure and can carry serious payload (as big as the Proton or Atlas-V rocket perhaps), then and only then does an orbital shipyard make much sense. Even then, large expendable (or semi-expendable) rockets will still probobly be better for very big payloads.

Even if we did have a super-shuttle, the ISS would be the wrong solution to the need... the ISS is in poor health, it is the wrong shape for a shipyard, and it is in the wrong orbit. If we need a shipyard, build one brand new later. One thing we might need before we have Shuttle-II however is a fuel depot, which wouldn't even need to be manned. You couldn't easily convert the ISS to be such a depot either.

Palomar · 2005-07-17 22:31:20

Well i got this idea from Star Trek.

*Interesting that you mention ST. The second I saw this subject line, an episode from the original Star Trek came to mind: The Trouble with Tribbles, where that Klingon guy insulted The Enterprise in front of Mr. Scott, calling it "a garbage stow." (I think that word was "stow" anyway; has been awhile since I've seen that episode and Google is no help).

Hopefully there'll be no fistfights over booze-joint tables, though... :laugh:

Give ISS the MER treatment. Abandon it, let it burn up on re-entry over the middle of the ocean.

Provided all Tribbles are safely evacuated first, of course. :;):

--Cindy

Stormrage · 2005-07-18 06:20:23

Well i got this idea from Star Trek.
*Interesting that you mention ST. The second I saw this subject line, an episode from the original Star Trek came to mind: The Trouble with Tribbles, where that Klingon guy insulted The Enterprise in front of Mr. Scott, calling it "a garbage stow." (I think that word was "stow" anyway; has been awhile since I've seen that episode and Google is no help).
Hopefully there'll be no fistfights over booze-joint tables, though... :laugh:
Give ISS the MER treatment. Abandon it, let it burn up on re-entry over the middle of the ocean.
Provided all Tribbles are safely evacuated first, of course. :;):
--Cindy

Koloth said it was a Garbage scow.

Damn looks like any idea won't save that money drain.

btw i don't want to be rude but what is MER treatment? Do you mean Mir?

Palomar · 2005-07-18 06:35:31

btw i don't want to be rude but what is MER treatment? Do you mean Mir?

*Yep. :-\

I shouldn't post so late at night, after a long day...

Mir.

-thunks self on head-

--Cindy

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#1 2005-07-17 19:28:18

Re: A good use for ISS - Shuttle construction

#2 2005-07-17 19:59:59

Re: A good use for ISS - Shuttle construction

#3 2005-07-17 20:13:47

Re: A good use for ISS - Shuttle construction

#4 2005-07-17 20:29:37

Re: A good use for ISS - Shuttle construction

#5 2005-07-17 22:31:20

Re: A good use for ISS - Shuttle construction

#6 2005-07-18 06:20:23

Re: A good use for ISS - Shuttle construction

#7 2005-07-18 06:35:31

Re: A good use for ISS - Shuttle construction

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