A city in space has long been the dream of space nerds even before the invention of the rocket engine. It provides for a natural safe harbor and is a great jump–off point to other destinations.
In the tale "2001: A Space Odyssey," Dr. Floyd has a stopover at his timeline's version of the International Space Station (see Image 1). A space shuttle (operated by Pan American Airlines, no less) flies back and forth between Earth and the ISS.
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| Image 1: Interior view of Space Station V from the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" |
NASA had always wanted a way station before going on to pursue further adventures in outer space. Their early designs called for large crews using nuclear power for their energy needs (see Image 2 and Image 3).
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| Image 2: A nuclear-powered space station design from the 1960s |
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| Image 3: A space city as envisioned by NASA in the 1960s |
NASA especially wanted a space station while operating the Space Shuttle (see Image 4). Their idea was kinda brilliant: bring the space station up in pieces, then assemble the pieces into a facility whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
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| Image 4: An early space station design for the Space Shuttle era |
The NASA idea finally came to fruition in the early 2000s when the International Space Station was assembled.
Still, since the 1970s, there have been pathetically few space stations built and flown with a crew living onboard (see Image 5). Even after flying in space, they were eventually murdered and were allowed a controlled reentry into the atmosphere for cremation and burial.
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| Image 5: All of the space stations ever placed in Earth Orbit |
Our space station will be just another in a long line of space space stations, only ours will be overflowing with science and tourist activities. We will offer a welcoming environment (see Image 6) to both crew and paying customers to enjoy the overwhelming treasure that is our universe.
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| Image 6: We hope our space station will look just as cool |
A space station should not only be a base of operations but also a place of rest and relaxation. It must be functional and elegant. The crew needs to feel proud of their work environment. We will spare no effort in making the crew comfortable.
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