FEEC+ ENGINEERINGFA =+ HUMAN FACTORSVIISION FOR AVLEO STATIONDESIGN+ FRONTIER
ATMOSPHERE DENSITY400 KM ISS ALTITUDE250 KM150 KM0 KMVERY LOW EARTH ORBITABEP SUITABLE HEIGHTTOO MUCH DRAGNOT ENOUGH PARTICLESATMOSPHERE DENSITY (kg/m3) 10-10 10-5 1CENTURIESOBJECT QUANTITY104 MINUTES100 MINUTES95 MINUTES89 MINUTES88 MINUTESALTITUDE NATURAL DEORBIT ORBITAL PERIODDECADESYEARSWEEKSHOURS1 000 KMGEO STATIONARY EARTH ORBITTHOUSANDS OF YEARSATMOSPHERIC DRAG + OTHER FACTORS CAUSING ALTITUDE LOSS+ - 36 000 KM+++800 KM550 KM250 KM150 KMPASSIVE DEORBIT2001001960 1990200019702020300LAUNCHES PER YEARYEAR400DATA AS OF 2020: UNITED NATIONS + ESANON-COMMERCIAL + COMMERCIAL MISSIONS LAUNCH RATE
= FA= FEEC= FOSTER&PARTNERS== 1 SEMESTERSINGLE RESEARCH PUBLICATION 11 STUDENTS + 6 CONSULTANTS
VIISION FOR AVLEO STATIONWE PROPOSE A VERY LOW EARTH ORBIT (VLEO) STATION AT ~200 KM ALTITUDE, HALF THAT OF THE ISS. THIS LOW ORBIT OFFERS A KEY ADVANTAGE: A VERY SHORT PASSIVE DEORBIT TIME, REDUCING LONG-TERM SPACE DEBRIS RISK COMPARED TO THE CROWDED ORBITS ABOVE 500 KM WHERE OBJECTS CAN REMAIN FOR DECADES OR CENTURIES.AT THIS ALTITUDE, THE ATMOSPHERE IS DENSE ENOUGH TO ENABLE ATMOSPHERE-BREATHING PROPULSION. THE SYSTEM CAPTURES ATMOSPHERIC PARTICLES, COMPRESSES THEM, AND USES THEM AS PROPELLANT FOR ION THRUSTERS, ALLOWING CONTINUOUS STATION-KEEPING WITHOUT STORED FUEL. THIS DIRECTLY SHAPES THE STATION’S DESIGN, WITH INTAKE DEVICES EXPOSED TO THE FLOW AND HABITABLE MODULES POSITIONED
GRAPHICS AUTHOR: CHOWANIEC, VOSTALDATA AUTHOR: CHOWANIEC, VOSTALRACK EFFECTIVITY54%61%60%66%61%58%RACK SYSTEMWhen we designed our first configurations, we rated their performance by their storage efficiency using standardized cargo bags, comparing the results directly to those currently used on the ISS. Moving toward smaller racks that could build individual configurations, we started to develop our own idea of cargo bags. Our proposal features extendable triangular sleeves that fill any shape with high efficiency, utilizing the most storage volume. These sleeves deploy via lightweight, self-locking frames that adapt to irregular rack geometries, minimizing voids and maximizing payload density. Prototyping revealed greater volume utilization than ISS baselines, even in curved or rotating sections. Future iterations could also incorporate smart fabrics or customized bags for specific technology.38%187
GRAPHICS AUTHOR: ŠRANKO, CHOWANIEC, VOSTALDATA AUTHOR: ŠRANKO OXYGEN FARMThe life support system is responsible for providing the physiological needs of the crew. Right humidity and temperature, food and water, waste management, oxygen generation and many other tasks. It is an essential group of systems enabling human survival on a space mission. With the ambition of long term human presence in space and sustained human space exploration, multiple NASA needs assessments point in the direction of bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) as a potential enabling technology.On the Earth, life support consists exclusively of living organisms. From plants and seaweeds producing oxygen, to microorganisms breaking down wastes, the ability of reproduction and self-repair allowed for continuous life support on Earth so far. Conventional life support systems are prone to failures, and their need of spares and resupplies is limiting the range of relatively “safe\" space exploration. Introducing engineered ecosystems on spacecraft is a very probable way of extending our reach in space.147
COMBINED RESEARCHAPPROACHA STEP OUTSIDE DIGITAL DESIGN ASSUMPTIONS TO CONFRONT THE PHYSICAL REALITIES OF LIFE IN ORBIT. BY TESTING IDEAS THROUGH PERFORMATIVE, FULL-SCALE EXPERIMENTS, WE TRIED TO TRANSFORM SPECULATIVE CONCEPTS INTO SPATIAL EXPERIENCES
GRAPHICS AUTHOR: SABO, CHOWANIECDATA AUTHOR: SABO,MÜLLER BASE CLOUDSSTABILIZED CYCLINGMOVEMENTHYGIENEMAXIMUMREACHROWINGSLEEPDRES UPRUNSTRENGTHREACHKNEELINGBALANCESTRENGTHCLOSETSITTINGHIITSTRENGTHSTABILIZEDSTABILIZEDREACH209BODY SCANDESIGNRATHER THAN ENGINEERING A PRESSURIZED SHELL FIRST AND HOPING THE CREW FITS INSIDE, WE ESTABLISHED THE \"KINEMATIC ENVELOPE\" AS THE PRIMARY GENERATOR OF SPACE. BY RECORDING THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL FOOTPRINT OF ASTRONAUTS PERFORMING ESSENTIAL TASKS - FROM HIGH-INTENSITY EXERCISE TO DELICATE REPAIRS