darkenfast: sideways-module wheel (2022)
Design summary
- Wheel. 64 two-deck modules (6.4 m inner diameter) mounted at right angles to the rotation, like the London Eye. The rim passageway doubles as airlocks with emergency gear. Two elevators, bicycle-wheel bracing, and a non-spinning hub with factory, power and docking; ~500 people darkenfast, 2022-10-31.
- Earlier version: 64 sideways modules, two elevators, and a vacuum transfer chamber separating and despinning darkenfast, 2022-10-07.
- Questions darkenfast raised: shift work in 0 g with evenings in g? Would cheap transport make LEO rotations (6 months on Earth / 3 months on the station) sufficient? darkenfast, 2022-10-31
Open questions
- Do sideways modules (axis tangential) give usable floor area at 6.4 m inner diameter?