“There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew.”
– Marshall McLuhan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CM ARCHITECTURE
The Crew Module (CM) is essential equipment when humans want to live and work in outer space. There have been many designs in the past few decades, Most CMs are capsules that utilize a heat shield to come back from space. Many other designs were meant to remain in space and refurbished to be reused many times.
CMs were also designed to be mounted on a mobile platform. This would have allowed crews to reach other destinations operating from a space station base.
The CM was also designed to fit inside the new Space Shuttle that was in development at the time. This is the reason most (if not all) CMs are cylindrical in shape.
The CMs would have been attached to a rocket so that the crew could travel to destinations such as errant satellites and other space stations.
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CM AIRFRAME
Our Crew Module (CM) is designed with echoes from past blueprints (Image 1) [Larger Image]. It will contain the standard list of equipment and machinery.
Image 1: a 1970s design for a reusable crew module
STRUCTURE
- Outer Shell
- Load Carrying Frame
- Micrometeoroid Shield
- Insulation
- Radiators
- Panels
- Heat Exchanger
- Pumps
- Food Preparation Station
- Shower/Toilet
ELECTRICAL POWER
- Batteries
- Regulators
- Junction Boxes
- Wires
- Cables
- Power Distribution
COMMUNICATIONS
- TVs
- Audio
- Antenna
- Data Management
INSTRUMENTATION
- Displays
- Controls
- Wiring
- Lighting
MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT
- Maintenance Hardware
- Backup Equipment
The Environmental Controls / Life Support Systems (EC/LSS) maintains internal pressurization and humidity levels. It converts Liquid Oxygen and Nitrogen (LO2 and LN2) into gaseous form (GO2 and GN2) to make breathable air.
Liquid water (LH2O) is converted to gaseous form (GH2O) and used for humidity control.
We will use a Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) to "scrub" the atmosphere of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) We will use the zeolite vacuum technique, where Carbon Dioxide molecules attach themselves to the zeolite material and then are cleansed by exposing the soiled material to the vacuum of space. The material is then reused. Lather rise repeat.
EC/LSS
- Hardware
- LO2 Storage
- GO2 Distribution
- LN2 Storage
- GN2 Distribution
- Atmospheric Pressurization
- LH2O Storage
- GH2O Distribution
- Internal Temperature Regulators
- CDRA and associated equipment
CREW MODULE INTERIOR
A professional interior designer will offer color pallets.
The elevation of Spaceport America is 1.401 km above Mean Sea Level (MSL). The atmospheric pressure at this altitude is 85,081.3 Pa (12.34 pounds psi or 0.84 atm). This air pressure will be maintained inside the CMs as well.
The CM will begin life as a core vehicle, with the cockpit in the front and the EC/LSS equipment and controls in the back, including four options available on each side (Image 2) [Larger Image].
Image 2: Crew Module options interior view
The four side options include:
- 3 EVA Ports
- 2 EVA Ports plus Extra Storage
- Sensor equipment and displays
- Window
The sensor equipment and displays will be used for science monitoring, etc.
The sensor displays and the window are of the same approximate mass, and is counted as part of the static mass of the CM.
Image 3: Crew Module options exterior view
The spacesuits will be connected to the EVA Ports outside of the CM. Astronauts will disconnect from the CM to float away or walk away, depending on the environment. Whilst on the Moon the astronaut will be lowered to the lunar surface via a cable attached to their suit, which is disconnected once on the surface.
A shroud will envelop the spacesuits when not in use for protection from the sun. Since this should cause a permanent shadow situation where the temperatures will drop considerably, we propose using waste heat (if possible) to keep the enclosed area relatively warm.
CREW MODULE EXTERIOR
Once the pieces are put together, the CM will take the shape of a cylinder (Image 3) [Larger Image].
Our CMs will not only be cylindrical in shape but will be "stackable" to create a 2–level and a 3–level environment. A one–level CM will be abbreviated as CM1, a two–level CM as CM2, and a three–level as CM3. A rich variety of orbital and lunar missions become available because of the incorporation of the concept of reuse and commonality.
The CM mass calculation is broken down into two parts: the static mass and the dynamic mass. The static mass is like the name implies; it is the mass of the CM that comes standard and does not change from mission to mission.
CM STATIC MASS
The static mass of each crew module "stack" is listed in the tables below.
Pressurized Docking Ring |
80 |
kg |
Outer Top Deck |
16 |
kg |
Structure |
1,049 |
kg |
Electrical Power |
59 |
kg |
Communications |
148 |
kg |
Instrumentation |
85 |
kg |
Misc. Equipment |
36 |
kg |
Floor |
7 |
kg |
Outer Bottom Deck |
16 |
kg |
Pressurized Docking Ring |
80 |
kg |
CM1 Static Mass |
1,577 |
kg |
Pressurized Docking Ring |
80 |
kg |
Outer Top Deck |
16 |
kg |
Structure |
2,097 |
kg |
Electrical Power |
118 |
kg |
Communications |
297 |
kg |
Instrumentation |
171 |
kg |
Misc. Equipment |
73 |
kg |
Floors |
14 |
kg |
Outer Bottom Deck |
16 |
kg |
Pressurized Docking Ring |
80 |
kg |
CM2 Static Mass |
2,961 |
kg |
Pressurized Docking Ring |
80 |
kg |
Outer Top Deck |
16 |
kg |
Structure |
3,146 |
kg |
Electrical Power |
177 |
kg |
Communications |
445 |
kg |
Instrumentation |
256 |
kg |
Misc. Equipment |
109 |
kg |
Floors |
21 |
kg |
Outer Bottom Deck |
16 |
kg |
Pressurized Docking Ring |
80 |
kg |
CM3 Static Mass |
4,346 |
kg |
CM DYNAMIC MASS
The dynamic mass of the CM will include the following items:
- Spacesuits
- EVA Equipment
- EC/LSS
- Contingency
- Crew
- Food
- Crew Systems
Image 4: An example CM designation
The Dynamic Mass is determined by the number of astronauts and the mission duration (in days). The mass of the CM is calculated by adding together the static and dynamic masses (this will be addressed in Part II and Part III).
The CM total mass will be designated using three sets of numbers: the number of astronauts, the number of spacesuits, and how long the mission lasts.
For example, a Crew Module designated as CM3_12–10–42 means a three–deck "stack" with twelve astronauts and ten spacesuits for forty–two days (Image 4).
There will be a total of 9 different production CM missions and designations. Additionally, there will be 2 temporary CM configurations, with 3 units of each produced.
TOTAL CM MASS