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 Nautilus-X spacecraft |
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The spacecraft was designed[when?] for long duration (one to twenty-four months) exo-atmospheric space journeys for a six-person crew. In order to limit the effects of microgravity on human health, the spacecraft would be equipped with a centrifuge.
The spacecraft itself is proposed to be relatively cheap by manned spaceflight standards[1] as it is projected to only cost US$3.7 billion. In addition, it may only need 64 months of work.[2][3]
Contents
Objectives
The original goal of Nautilus-X is to be a stopover to long term missions for the Moon or Mars. To ease route planning of the whole mission, the station would be placed at the Lagrange point L1 or L2 of the Moon or Mars, depending on which location is to be visited.It would also serve in case of emergency station and hospital for current mission crews.[4][2]
Other objectives include:
- Support long term mission for 6 people
- Self-sustainable and self-powered for entire mission operation (1–24 months)
- Capable of space journeys and self-reliant
- Support manned celestial body descent and return
- Support external scientific payloads
- Fully space only vehicle (no atmosphere entering capability)
- Design a multipurpose crew vehicle which meets the requirement of NASA Authorization Act of 2010
Description
Design
The spacecraft has a modular design, enabling it to accommodate any of a number of mission specific propulsion modules, manipulator arms, docking port for an Orion or commercial crew capsule, and landing craft for destination worlds. In theory the engines and fuel can be swapped out depending on the mission.[5] The spacecraft would also have an industrial slide-out airlock unit and a command, control and observation deck.
On the other end of the docking port is the spacecraft's centrifuge which is equipped with an external dynamic ring-flywheel. Behind the centrifuge are water and slush hydrogen tanks, which could mitigate the dangers of cosmic radiation for the crew, to a certain degree.[1] In the aft of the craft are the communication and propulsion systems.
The standard version of Nautilus-X has only three inflatable modules. The Extended Duration Explorer version of Nautilus-X has several more, plus docking bays for science payloads and away-mission vehicles.
Technologies
Attributes
- Robust Environmental Control and Life Support and communication suite
- Large storage volumes (for food, mechanical parts or medical supplies)
- Real-time visual command & observe capability for crew
- Low crew irradiation
- Semi-autonomous integration of multiple mission specific propulsion units
Current status
ISS centrifuge demonstration
If produced, this centrifuge will be the first in-space demonstration of sufficient scale for artificial partial-g effects.[4] The demonstrator would be sent using a single Delta IV or Atlas V launcher. The full cost of such a demonstrator would be between US$83 million and US$143 million. It could be operational in less than 39 months after start.[1][7][8]
The dimension of the demonstrator is under study, but two proposed diameters are 30 ft (9.1 m) and 40 ft (12 m). The following table shows the partial-g gravity created by the centrifuge depending on its rotations per minute.
| RPM | 30 ft (9.1 m) | 40 ft (12 m) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0.08 | 0.11 |
| 5 | 0.13 | 0.17 |
| 6 | 0.18 | 0.25 |
| 7 | 0.25 | 0.33 |
| 8 | 0.33 | 0.44 |
| 9 | 0.41 | 0.55 |
| 10 | 0.51 | 0.69 |
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