Rotating airlocks and cargo transfer

The interface through which people and cargo cross between rotating and non-rotating frames.

Key results

• "Ron's rotating airlock" (lamontagne and Coastal Ron, 2022–23).
• A non-rotating flexible gangway tube connects to the visiting vehicle. It has two redundant rotating seals and restraining arms, is temporary and retracts after use lamontagne, 2023-01-30; lamontagne, 2023-02-03; Coastal Ron, 2023-01-30.
• The visiting vehicle does not rotate, and an airlock sits between station and vehicle.
• All rotation transition happens on the station side. People use handholds; cargo goes in a counter-rotating "Translator" box (a rotating elevator) on a wheeled track Coastal Ron, 2023-01-30; Coastal Ron, 2023-02-03.
• A UBM-based rotating airlock lamontagne, 2023-05-11.
• Transfer throughput is a choke point.
• lamontagne: how long does it take to transfer 100+ people in 0 g, given space sickness (1 in 10) and toilet needs? lamontagne, 2023-01-27; lamontagne, 2023-02-03.
• Continuous throughput via a temporary sliding seal vs transfer-car cycles Asteroza, 2023-01-23.
• Transfer vehicles.
• A small Dragon-sized transfer module alternating between rotating and non-rotating sections on rails mikelepage, 2023-05-18.
• Self-propelled pressurized transfer pods JohnFornaro, 2014-03-17.
• A Cygnus-like taxi pod with airlock and cold-gas thrusters MickQ, 2023-01-28.
• 5 × 10 m crew/cargo pods from a zero-g transit station Coastal Ron, 2022-11-29.
• A "ski lift" hook/unhook mechanism mikelepage, 2014-03-20. A ring-track elevator car accelerating between non-rotating and rotating tracks aero, 2014-03-20.
• Moving airlocks: transfer rings that match either the spindle or the ring lamontagne, 2018-08-04.
• Disorientation during transfer LarryCanuck, 2023-01-30.
• Cargo packaging.
• A 1 t package is easy to move in 0 g and hard in 1 g. Liquids go by tank or bag lamontagne, 2023-02-03.
• Standard containers are covered in module sizing.
• Bulk propellant. Transfer at a separate zero-g depot, not at the station lamontagne, 2023-01-25. A bulk propellant transfer standard is needed Paul451, 2023-02-05.
• Lines instead of docking. Lines, hoses and pallets instead of docking TripleSeven, 2018-08-29.
• Passenger transport. DanClemmensen: SpaceX would send colonists up late in ~500-seat transports (2 m³/person). The IDSS 800 mm hatch is too small; chain docking DanClemmensen, 2023-04-02; DanClemmensen, 2023-04-05.
• JohnFornaro: Starship seating modules for 120 passengers with a 6 × 7 ft access panel JohnFornaro, 2023-04-05. His "Modular Cargo/Crew System" rides on rails through an airlock into the hub JohnFornaro, 2023-02-08.

Open questions

• What is the practical people-per-hour rate through a rotating interface?
• Must every rotating interface have a vacuum seal, or can transfer cars eliminate them?

Related pages

• Docking to rotating stations · Seals and joints · Transitions between g levels

Sources

Forum posts

• JohnFornaro, 2014-03-17 (reply #194): Transfer pods. Post.
• mikelepage, 2014-03-20 (reply #215, 1 like): Ski-lift mechanism. Post.
• aero, 2014-03-20 (reply #234): Ring-track car. Post.
• lamontagne, 2018-08-04 (reply #1138, 1 like): Transfer rings (moving airlocks). Post. Attachments: Station3b.jpg.
• TripleSeven, 2018-08-29 (reply #1201): Lines/hoses & pallets. Post.
• Coastal Ron, 2022-11-29 (reply #2516): 5 × 10 m pods. Post.
• Asteroza, 2023-01-23 (reply #3029, 1 like): Sliding seal vs car cycles. Post.
• lamontagne, 2023-01-25 (reply #3102): Don't transfer propellant at station. Post.
• lamontagne, 2023-01-27 (reply #3138): Time to transfer 100+ people. Post.
• MickQ, 2023-01-28 (reply #3143): Taxi pod. Post.
• lamontagne, 2023-01-30 (reply #3189, 2 likes): Rotating gangway airlock (2 likes). Post. Attachments: can flex.png, can flex 2.png.
• Coastal Ron, 2023-01-30 (reply #3190): Coastal Ron's description. Post.
• LarryCanuck, 2023-01-30 (reply #3193): Disorientation. Post.
• Coastal Ron, 2023-01-30 (reply #3195): Station-side transition. Post.
• lamontagne, 2023-02-03 (reply #3218, 3 likes): Video (3 likes). Post.
• Coastal Ron, 2023-02-03 (reply #3223, 1 like): Translator box. Post.
• lamontagne, 2023-02-03 (reply #3226): Transfer choke point. Post. Attachments: Image5.png, Image7.png.
• lamontagne, 2023-02-03 (reply #3232): ISPR; 1 t package. Post.
• Paul451, 2023-02-05 (reply #3241, 1 like): Bulk propellant standard. Post.
• JohnFornaro, 2023-02-08 (reply #3269, 1 like): MCCS. Post. Attachments: Seating-Module-Perspective-1.JPG, Hub-Plan.jpg, Hub-Side-View.jpg.
• DanClemmensen, 2023-04-02 (reply #3574): 500-seat transports. Post.
• DanClemmensen, 2023-04-05 (reply #3584): IDSS too small. Post.
• JohnFornaro, 2023-04-05 (reply #3587): Seating modules. Post. Attachments: Seating-Module-1.jpg, Seating-Module-Perspective-1.JPG, Seating-Module-Perspective-2.JPG, Seating-Module-Transfer.JPG.
• lamontagne, 2023-05-11 (reply #3679): UBM rotating airlock. Post. Attachments: bearing.jpg, UBM-RAM1.png, UBM_canadarm_3.png.
• mikelepage, 2023-05-18 (reply #3731): Transfer module on rails. Post.