Generic Earth Orbiting Space Settlement Requirements
INTRODUCTION
This is a request for contractors to propose the design,
development, construction, and operations planning of a space
settlement community in Earth orbit.
STATEMENT OF WORK
- 1 - Basic Requirements - The contractor will describe
the design, development, and construction of the space settlement
community in Earth orbit, and develop plans for operating and
maintaining the community.
- 2 - Structural Design - The space settlement must
provide a safe and pleasant living and working environment for 10,
000 full-time residents, plus an additional transient population,
not to exceed 300 at any time, of business and official visitors,
guests of residents, and vacationers. The design must enable
residents to have natural views of space outside and Earth
below.
- 2.1 - On exterior design drawing(s), identify large enclosed
volumes and their uses, show dimensions of major structural
components and design features. Identify construction materials for
major hull components. Specify volumes where artificial gravity
will be supplied, the means for supplying and maintaining it, and
rationale for selection of rotation rates and artificial gravity
magnitude(s). Identify volumes maintained in zero or low gravity,
and pressurized or unpressurized environments. Specify means for
providing protection from radiation and debris penetration.
- 2.2 - Specify allocation of interior "down surfaces", with
areas designated and drawings labeled and dimensioned to show
residential, industrial, commercial, agricultuiral, and other uses.
Specify volume of and state how microgravity and unpressurized
facilities are used. Show orientation of "down surfaces" with
respect to overall settlement design, and vertical clearance in
each area.
- 2.3 - Describe the process required to construct the
settlement, by showing the sequence in which major structural
components will be assembled.
- 3 - Operations and Infrastructures - Describe facilities
and infrastructure necessary for building and operating the
community, including conduct business and accommodating incoming
and outgoing space vehicles.
- 3.1 - Identify an orbital location for the space settlement,
and reasons for its selection. Identify sources of materials and
equipment to be used in construction and operations (Earth,
asteroids, existing on-orbit facilities, Earth's moon, or
elsewhere), means for transporting those materials to the
settlement location, and storage between arrival and use.
- 3.2 - The proposed space settlement design will show elements
of basic infrastructure required for the activities of the
settlement's residents and customers, including (but not limited
to):
- food production (including growing, harvesting, storing,
packaging and selling),
- electrical power generation and distribution (identify
kilowatts of power generated),
- internal and external communication systems,
- internal transportation system(s),
- atmosphere/climate/weather control (identify air composition,
pressure, and quantity),
- household and industrial solid waste management, B B
- water management (specify required water quantity and sotrage
facilities), and,
- day/night cycle provisions.
- Define transportation corridors and means of access throughout
and between facilities, including designs of transportation
vehicles for use in and around the settlement. Include a diagram
and/or map to show movement of exports from source(s) to port
facilities. Drawings of transportation system(s) vehicles and
rights-of-way must show dimensions.
- 3.3 - Identify existing or new on-orbit infrastructure required
to develop or sustain settlement operations (e.g., vehicles.
satellites, and power plants). If new vehicle(s) are required for
transporting goods and personnel from Earth orbit to the
settlement's orbital location, and/or for transporting construction
materials from extraterrestrial sources, the customer intends to
encourage commercial development and operations separate from this
contract
- 4 - Human Factors - Quality of life is important to
customer organization members, who plan to maintain traditional
comforts of Earth without the sacrifices normally associated with a
frontier environment. Residents expect community attributes that
citizens of Earth's large towns might enjoy (e.g., comfortable
houses, fine food, access to entertainment). Assure that natural
sunlight and views of space outside and Earth below the settlement
are readily available to residents.
- 4.1 - The space settlement's communities will provide for
services that residents could expect in a comfortable modern
community environment (e.g., housing, education, entertainment,
medical, parks and recreation, etc.), variety and quantity of
consumables and other supplies , and public areas designed with
open space and consideration of psychological factors. The proposal
must depict or specify means of distributing consumables to the
settlement's residents.
- 4.2 - Provide designs of typical residential homes, clearly
showing room sizes. Anticipated demographics of the original
population are:
- Married adults: 30% (average age 38, median age 35)
- Single Men: 37% (average age 35, median age 36)
- Single Women: 30% (average age 40, median age 35)
- Children: 3% (average age 11, median age 9)
- 4.3 - Designs of systems, devices, and vehicles intended for
use by humans will consider enhancement of productivity (i.e.,
efficient use of people's time), both inside and outside the
settlement. Drawings of these items must clearly indicate their
sizes. In parts of the settlement with very low gravity
environments, identify means for people to move about safely and in
a predictable fashion. Spacesuit designs will be required for work
outside of pressurized settlement volumes.
- 5 - Automation Design and Services - specify the number
and types of computers, servers, software network devices, and
robots required for the space settlement's facility, community, and
business operations. Computer system descriptions will include
types and capacities of data storage media, data collection, data
distribution, and user access to computer networks. Show robot
designs, clearly indicating their dimensions abd illustrating how
they perform their tasks.
- 5.1 - Describe use of automation for construction. Consider
automation for transportation and delivery of materials and
equipment, assembly of the settlement, and interior finishing.
- 5.2 - Specify automation systems for settlement maintenance,
repair, and safety functions, including backup systems and
contingency plans for failures. Define physical locations of
computers, servers, and robots for critical functions. Robots
required for emergency external repairs must survive and accomplish
tasks during solar flare activity. Describe means for authorized
persoonnel to access critical data and command computer and robot
systems; include descriptions of security measures to assure that
only authorized personnel have access, and only for authorized
purposes.
- 5.3 - Specify automation systems to enhance livability in the
community, productivity in work environments, and convenience in
residences. Emphyasize use of automation to perform maintenance and
routine tasks, and reduce requirements for manual labor. Provide
for privacy of personal data and control of systems in private
spaces. Describe access to community computing and robot resources
from individuals' homes and workspaces.
- 6 - Schedule and Cost - The proposal will include a
schedule for development and occupation of the space settlement,
and costs for design through construction phases of the
schedule.
- 6.1 - The schedule must describe contractor tasks from the time
of contract award until the customer assumes responsibility for
operations of the completed settlement. Show schedule dates when
residents may begin moving into theirnew homes, and when the
original population will be established in the community.
- 6.2 - Specify costs for space settlement design through
construction in U.S. dollars, without consideration for economic
inflation. Estimate numbers of employees working during each phase
of design and construction in the justification for contract costs
to design and build the settlement.
Author: Anita Gale
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