NASA's future: NAUTILUS-X (Video + PPT update)

[KRSESQ]

There are some interesting old-school artificial gravity concepts here.

I still have a model of the Pilgrim Observer kicking around somewhere. I should dig it out and fix it up.

Even allowing for Kubrick's love of wide-angle lenses, Discovery always struck me as having a TARDIS thing going on - bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.

[Dr Mordrid]

Most of that inconsistant look was the various lenses used during filming.

The rotating centrifuge of 2001's Discovery One was 11.6 meters in diameter, both in the book and the rotating set used in the film. The films centrifuge set was constructed by the Vickers-Armstrongs (UK) aircraft company and rotated at a rim velocity of 5 kph.

There was a long thread about this last year on a site frequented by NASA engineers, and most all agreed that was about right but most arguments centered around a 10 meter diameter. The conclusion reached by a mix of engineers and we medical types was that only 1/6 (lunar) to 1/3 G would be more than enough to minimize the physiological effects - bone loss, cardiovascular changes, fluid shifting, retarded healing, the deleterious effects on stem cell activity etc.

Designing for 1 G just made things heavier, harder to build & maintain and severely spiked the cost with no real benefit.

Discovery One cutaway


Centrifuge set

[Dr Mordrid]

NASA's TAAT team generated a video of how NAUTILUS-X would look with the centrifuge running. Note the counter-rotating mass just ahead of the centrifuge. It also appears that the centrifuge would use a ferrofluid seal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zJ__F7ktvo

needs Blue Danube playing in the background

Some updated info - PowerPoint....

- Long-duration space journey vehicle for crew of 6 for periods of 1 -24 months
- CIS-lunar would be initial Operations Zone [shakedown phase]
- Exo-atmospheric, Space-only vehicle
- Integrated Centrifuge for Crew Health
- Life Support in deployed Large Volume with shirt-sleeve servicing
- Truss & Stringer thrust-load distribution concept (non-orthogird)
- Capable of utilizing variety of Mission-Specific
- Propulsion Units [integrated in LEO, semi-autonomously
- Utilizes Inflatable & Deployed structures
- Incorporates Industrial Airlock for construction/maintenance
- Integrated RMS
- Supports Crewed Celestial-body Descent/Return Exploration vehicle(s)
- Utilizes Orion/Commercial vehicles for crew rotation & Earth return from LEO