OrbitalHabitat.com
Title
ORBITALHABITAT Home Page
Description
About Orbital Habitat
The OrbitalHabitat concept is an extension of the modular space habitat design used by space contractors. The current design philosophy is to prepare prepackaged containers in an earthly facility specializing in the preparation of such modules. The completed modules are then inserted into the spacecraft or habitat when needed. This method has the advantage that the container unit can be assembled independently of the habitat, and it makes for easy replacement of units. It also allows the assembly to be kept in a "clean" environment more easily.
This is fine as far as it goes. Unfortunately, the modules are often assembled laboriously, one at a time. Imagine buying a car built that way! Such an operation fails to take advantage of assembly line techniques, resulting in high costs. Admittedly, the costs of equipment is low compared to the current launch costs to get the equipment into space, but that will change as commercial carriers start to venture into the space realm.
Be that as it may, this one-at-a-time philosophy won't work in the upcoming age of commercial space. We will need lots of habitat volume, and we will need it fast.
