A study team, comprised of NASA, university and research institute planners, has taken a dedicated look at a flexible path to multiple destinations in space.
The focus of the group is to evaluate concepts for post-International Space Station (ISS) space habitation systems.
U.S. President Obama’s National Space Policy calls for continuing the operation of the ISS — in cooperation with its international partners – “likely to 2020 or beyond, and expand efforts to: utilize the ISS for scientific, technological, commercial, diplomatic, and educational purposes; support activities requiring the unique attributes of humans in space; serve as a continuous human presence in Earth orbit; and support future objectives in human space exploration.”
As flagged by the study team in a recent review paper, “If humans are going to undertake extended voyages beyond nearly immediate access to the Earth, continued development of on-orbit capabilities will be required during the gap between ISS end-of-life and when those voyages begin.”
The study group warned that, unless there is a plan to continue on-orbit operations with humans at the end of the ISS program, the vast operational experience, managers, engineers, astronauts, scientists, tools, drawings, and equipment will be quickly lost . . . and will have to be recovered at great expense before humans venture for long durations beyond the Earth-Moon system.
Gateway to free-space habitation
Since 2000, there has been an ongoing look at post-ISS architectures intended to build upon ISS experience and prepare for long-duration voyages.
The ISS is seen as “Free-Space Habitation 1.0” – that is, engineering solutions that produced the ISS – and, to some degree, Skylab and Russia’s Mir before it – may be referred to as humanity’s first generation of successful long-duration human occupation of the cosmos.
But what next?
During the summer of this year, the study team assessed options for long-duration human habitation systems, building upon the ISS legacy and leveraging capabilities being developed for other goals.
The centerpiece element for their output – a “gateway” space facility positioned at the Earth-Moon L1 or L2 point (or equivalent) locations.
If put in space, this gateway would enable:
- The upgrade and maintenance of large space instrumentation
- Provide vehicle support for lunar sortie missions
- Support on-orbit depots, and
- Serve as a prototype for extended human exploration to deep-space destinations
“With the identification of Mars as the “ultimate destination” for human space flight, the capability to operate in free space comfortably and successfully for long periods of time remains a major priority,” the study team concluded.
By Leonard David