SPACE COLONIES: An Alternative To The Globus Cylinder
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M. Hempsell. (2021), JBIS, 74, pp.234-236
Refcode: 2021.74.234
Abstract:
Globus has produced an argument for the optimum overall shape for a large spinning space habitat, considering minimising overall wall area, maximising floor area, while maintaining an inertia ratio compatible with stable spin. The resulting shape was a cylinder with a height 1.3 times the floor radius. This shape was used in Globus’ own Kalpana habitat designs and also the British Interplanetary Society’s Avalon study. Globus assumed a complete cylinder with a full disc end wall. Here we look at the impact of using a roof to create a hollow cylinder, reducing the pressurised volume for a given usable floor area. It was found that the structural mass differences are small and in a real situation other secondary factors would have a larger influence. Therefore, the selection between them would be based on the saving in the mass of the atmosphere and the aesthetic of the overhead sky.
