Space Habitat Design Research Articles

Review of space habitat designs for long term space explorations

This review paper attempts to provide a useful reference for space habitat designs that advance the ability of humans to live in space for long periods of time. Five space habitat design concepts are reviewed with the principal aim of addressing the five fundamental problems in long term space exploration: artificial gravity, efficient radiation protection, sustainable food, growth strategy, and commercial values. The design of principal categories of life support systems, habitat subsystems, economics and cost reduction approaches are presented with a focus on establishing useful sources of fundamental issues in the literature, as well as highlighting important research directions and topics. Humans have enjoyed isolated successes in space, but the international space station (ISS) is going to retire soon. The space habitat design for long-duration use will be the next ambitious space program with contributions from the world-wide scientific and technical community. The overarching theme of the paper is to show the diversity, richness, and fundamental problems of habitat designs that have been undertaken in the last 60 years of space exploration.

Designing for Mars

This presentation provides an overview of the habitability factors that affect the design of space habitats for long-duration spaceflight missions. Components of habitability that affect human adaptation to an isolated and confined environment are discussed. These elements are presented as part of a larger group of environmental factors, aesthetics, and habitat architecture. Design recommendations are provided to support practicing human factors specialists, architects, and engineers in creating an environment that promotes productivity and supports crew performance. A comparison to a current Mars analog environment is included to illustrate the findings and recommendations for future habitat designs. Current research efforts implementing these recommendations are discussed.

Exploring the challenges of habitation design for extended human presence beyond low-earth orbit: Are new requirements and processes needed?

With the renewed interest in a sustained human presence beyond low-earth orbit, habitation in space, on planets and on moons is an area that requires re-evaluation in terms of mission and habitat design—there is a need for a paradigmatic move from a design focus on short-term LEO missions to that of long-term missions in LEO and beyond. We claim that a design lock-in may have occurred over the last 50 years which will need concerted effort to be unlocked and realigned to suit the emerging long-term mission paradigm. In this paper we explore some of the issues and possible ways of infusing relevant insights into the space habitat design approach by seeking to bridge lacunae in both the design process and training of the next generation space design workforce. As early career researchers we explore these issues in a moderate way and with limited resources, through an exploratory design workshop, organized under the aegis of the Aurora Programme, with the aim of exploring multidisciplinary design and a view to understanding the potential benefits of interdisciplinary approaches and possible gaps in the current space design paradigm. We touch the tip of a very large iceberg, but close the paper with first round recommendations for further exploration within the space design community and to be supported by national agencies.

Architecture for space habitats. Role of architectural design in planning artificial environment for long time manned space missions

The paper discusses concepts about the role of architecture in the design of space habitats and the development of a general evaluation criteria of architectural design contribution. Besides the existing feasibility studies, the general requisites, the development studies, and the critical design review which are mainly based on the experience of human space missions and the standards of the NASA-STD-3000 manual and which analyze and evaluate the relation between man and environment and between man and machine mainly in its functionality, there is very few material about design of comfort and wellbeing of man in space habitat. Architecture for space habitat means the design of an artificial environment with much comfort in an “atmosphere” of wellbeing. These are mainly psychological effects of human factors which are very important in the case of a long time space mission. How can the degree of comfort and “wellbeing atmosphere” in an artificial environment be measured? How can the quality of the architectural contribution in space design be quantified? Definition of a criteria catalogue to reach a larger objectivity in architectural design evaluation. Definition of constant parameters as a result of project necessities to quantify the quality of the design. Architectural design analysis due the application and verification within the parameters and consequently overlapping and evaluating results. Interdisciplinary work between architects, astronautics, engineers, psychologists, etc. All the disciplines needed for planning a high quality habitat for humans in space. Analysis of the principles of well designed artificial environment. Good quality design for space architecture is the result of the interaction and interrelation between many different project necessities (technological, environmental, human factors, transportation, costs, etc.). Each of this necessities is interrelated in the design project and cannot be evaluated on its own. Therefore, the design process needs constant check ups to choose each time the best solution in relation to the whole. As well as for the main disciplines around human factors, architectural design for space has to be largely tested to produce scientific improvement.

Fundamentals of Space Life Sciences

Volume 1: Part 1 The Space Environment: Vacuum, Temperature, and Microgravity, Giovanni G. Fazio Radiation Biology, John R. Letaw. Part 2 Response of Living Systems to Spaceflight: Cellular Responses to Spaceflight, Marian L. Lewis and Millie Hughes-Fulford Response of the Cardiovascular System to Spaceflight, Susanne E. Churchill and Michael W. Bungo Response of the Neurovestibular System to Spaceflight, Corinna E. Lathan and Gilles Clement Response of the Skeletal System to Spaceflight, Christopher E. Cann Response of Skeletal Muscle to Spaceflight, V. Reggie Edgerton and Roland R. Roy Response of the Immune System to Spaceflight, David H. Sherr and Gerald Sonnenfield Response of the Respiratory System to Spaceflight, Ludwig A. Engel and Harold J. B.. Guy Food and Nutrition During Spaceflight, Robert W. Phillips Operational Medicine and Health Care Delivery, James S. Logan Countermeasures and Artificial Gravity, Peter H. Diamandis. Volume 2: Part 3 Psychosocial Issues of Spaceflight: The Experience of Spaceflight - Personal Insights, Byron Lichtenberg Behaviour and Performance in the Space Environment, Patricia A. Santy Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Performance in Space, Claudio Stampi Human Factors and Habitability Issues for the Design of Space Habitats, Francesco Brunelli Will Space Change Humanity?, Benjamin Finney. Part 4 Life Support Systems: Introduction to Life Support Systems, William J. Crump and Daniel Scott Janik Issues and Solutions for Short-Duration Flights - An Historical Perspective on Physiochemical Systems, William J. Crump Microbiological Issues of Space Life Support Systems, Melvin V. Kilgore Jr, Alfred T. Mikell Jr. and Duane L. Pierson Bioregenerative Life Support for Space Habitation and Extended Planetary Missions, Mark Nelson Life Support and Performance Issues for Extravehicular Activity, Dava Newman and Michael Barrat.