Building Blocks
Polar Space Elevator
What if we explored building a space elevator at exactly the top of the rotational axis at the north or south pole? It could be attached to a tower with a rotating element that is loaded with strong magnets. The earth would rotate while the rotating element stayed fixed due to being fixed to ...
Software Development/Government Design
Lunar Odyssey
Who Owns the Moon?
This article by Frans von der Dunk, Prof at the University of Nebraska, explains the 1967 Outer Space Treaty's implications for owning resources extracted from the Moon, asteroids, or other celestial bodies.
https://www.newsweek.com/who-owns-moon-space-lawyer-explains-opinion-1034468
The...
Founder of Space Architecture as a Discipline
general
Ellen Stofan, NASA Chief Scientist Expects to Find Proof of Alien Life within 20 Years
How soon will Ellen need to eat her words? Probably not until long after retirement. Besides, is, say, finding bacteria on, say, Europa really an answer to the question "Are we alone?" I mean, if you were alone, would knowing that there were also bacteria present make you feel any less alone? ...
Founder of Space Architecture as a Discipline
Martian Spring
Space Architecture That Uses Burrowing and Inflatables
What if a portion of the space craft that carries the crew to Mars were inflatable? It could be infalted after the ship is on its way to Mars to make more living space and deflated once the ship arrives. A burrowing device could then burrow into the side of a mountain or into the ground and the i...
Software Development/Government Design
Black Sky
Bringing Humans to Mars and Humanity Together
Since I am making the first post to Black Sky, I'd like to start with a blog post from Charlie Bolden, President Obama's NASA Administrator. that resonates with our motto 'To Space, Together." It does not matter that we will and must return humans to the Moon first. The point is that just lik...
Founder of Space Architecture as a Discipline
Asteroid Commons
The Keck Report: Asteroid Retrieval Feasibility Study
The "Keck Report," the product of a study by the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) at CalTech/JPL in Pasadena, California constitutes a foundation stone astronautical engineering result for the asteroid exploration, mining, and science communities. http://kiss.caltech.edu/final_reports/Aste...
Founder of Space Architecture as a Discipline
Martian Spring
Global Overview: Returned Astrobiology Sample Mission Architectures
This paper presents a global overview of current, planned and proposed sample missions. At present, missions are in progress to return samples from asteroids, comets and the interstellar medium. More missions are planned to Mars and the asteroids. Future sample return missions include more target...
Founder of Space Architecture as a Discipline
Martian Spring
Mission Architecture Considerations for Mars Returned Sample Handling Facilities
NASA must hold samples returned from Mars in quarantine until the Sample Science Team determines their biological character and safety. A significant challenge, unique to NASAís needs, is how to contain the samples (to protect the
biosphere) while simultaneously protecting their pristine nature ...
Founder of Space Architecture as a Discipline
Martian Spring
Design Development Strategy for the Mars Surface Astrobiology Laboratory
The crucial challenge to astrobiology research on Mars is for the astronaut crews to conduct the search for life past and present from a Mars surface base. The Mars base will require a highly specialized astrobiology science laboratory to facilitate this research. This paper presents an increment...
Founder of Space Architecture as a Discipline
Martian Spring
Mars Surface Science Laboratory Accommodations and Operations
The NASA Mars Exploration Design Reference Mission asserts two equal goals: scientific exploration of Mars and human habitation on Mars. However, at present, the Mars Design Reference Mission does not provide a substantive accommodation for the science component of Mars Exploration. This essay de...
Founder of Space Architecture as a Discipline
