A technique question:SDLV space station.

[carp]

Is possible,in yours opinion build a large space station using the upper stage of SDLV? Docking (whit automatic docking) tree upper stage-dry laboratory we would have an space station more larger of ISS.Simple and soonest.technically it would be possible?

 

[dobbins]

NASA already has too much on it's plate, the last thing it needs at this time is another major project.<br /><br />

 

[spacefire]

true, they should just focus on sounding rockets made with lots and lots of Estes engines. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[dobbins]

/* ad hominem deleted */<br /><br />

 

[chriscdc]

They'll probably end up making stations out of lunar crew habitats. These can weigh up to 21tons(tonnes, oh its all so confusing!), which is the mass that the new lunar lander can place on the lunar surface in one go. Why bother developing a whole new module when you can build reasonably sized modules on a construction line.<br /><br />Of course thats assuming that Bigelow hasn't built his mansion sized habs in orbit.

 

[CalliArcale]

As a dry laboratory, yes, it's possible. But not likely. As Dobbins pointed out, NASA's got enough to do already -- including delivery of completed ISS segments. Plus, the SDLV hasn't been built yet; converting an SDLV stage into a dry lab is awfully premature at this stage of the game. Skylab was only cost effective because there was a surplus of Saturn components, which was only true because of the cancellation of Apollo. Not an ideal set of circumstances. If the SDLV doesn't exist, you might as well start from scratch and make a custom-designed station from the start instead of waiting for SDLV and then retrofitting a stage to make it into a station.<br /><br />As a wet laboratory, that may have more promise, but it involves the development of radical new techniques, new tools, new materials, and definitely won't be as easy. So that might be useful if you were going to be build dozens of the things, but not if you were only going to build one or two.<br /><br />In the end, it would be neither simplest nor soonest. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[publiusr]

This may come sooner than you think. Some of the ISS segments are at their first decade already. It is not too early to start talking about a single shot replacement/add on to ISS