A Chinese contribution to the ISS
A Chinese contribution to the ISS
(A)(1) Allows for an extension of ISS beyond 2024 with newer modules(A)(2) Newer Chinese modules would be designed to extend the length of the ISS by adding additional multiple docking ports(A)(3) Extending the length could be anywhere there is an available docking port on the X.Y Z axis.
Early ISS/space station freedom designs had a tower power and another dual keel design feature to it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Station_Freedom#.22Power_Tower.22_.281984.29 (A)(4) The Chinese and Bigelow modules would extend some distance to the -Y or the – N of the ISS.
(B)(1)A number of Chinese elements extending the length of ISS could allow for a geometry that allows for several Bigelow modules further out with commercial crew docking ports.The Chinese would contribute logistics flights in order to reduce ISS operational costs.A member of the public suggested to the Augustine commission that the ISS could be never-ending by adding new modules and discarding old ones, I suggest we want to preserve the ISS truss structures beyond 2028.
In an earlier post I suggested de crewing old ISS modules and pressurizing them with Xenon and or Argon for use as propellant for an ARM derived SEP to transfer most of the ISS to Lunar distant retrograde orbit (LDRO) or a lagrange point. https://yellowdragonblog.com/2015/05/19/issarm-mission-to-gto-and-on-to-drlo-2-5/
(B)(2) A un crewed ISS that is mostly inert and powered down relies on the SEP model and as such on its long journey to cislunar space would require minimal funding and hopefully the ISS modules pressurized with noble gasses might have reduced the need for logistics flights to refuel the SEP in route(?)(B)(3) My idea is further advance by the use of the SLS Hybrid chemical/SEP EUS stage I proposed here,
This however is a very expensive option while the first option could fit inside the 2024/2028 budget (B)(2) transferring portions of the ISS to cislunar space as a way point station effectively merges the ISS budget with the BEO exploration budget.(B)(3) Some Chinese and commercial modules could also make the journey with ISS or some of the modules could remain in LEO(B)(4) its doubtful if the newer chinese and Bigelow modules would survive the Van allen belts(?) without the SLS EUS boost however such a thing should be planned for by future ISS/gateway international partners. (B)(5) Why would we want to do this? (B)(5) The Chinese could provide LEO and Gateway station models and allow us to afford both. (B)(6)This is also done with the sharing of logistics flights, India would be able to join with commercial crew and cargo in LEO
(C)(1) The Chinese might be planning a human crewed lunar lander, In light of being able to provide logistics to cislunar space they should be able to loft a lunar lander.(C)(2) The rest of us can afford human mars orbital missions a decade later but can not afford a lander to either place.(C)(3) This could be bartered!(C)(4) ISS modules that have been inerted by the passage through the van Allen belts(fried avionics?) could still be dumb pressurized spaces buried under lunar regolith (C)(5) The Chinese could barter for a ride to Mars orbit in exchange for the rest of us getting a ride down to the Lunar surface.
(D)(1) The SLS budget does not have much to speak for so perhaps the best bet is every three years the project builds a Skylab-II out of existing tooling and they do this for 15 years.This would be a Skylab-II at Cislunar, one at Deimos and another at Phobos and two more at Lagrange and DLRO. Building 4 of the same article you would think reduce some costs?all of these would be un crewed and propositioned with ARM derived SEP, Indeed as I have already suggested the Skylab-II vehicles would transfer with a pressurized xenon propellent atmosphere for SEP fuel (in the habitable pressurized volume!).The Skylab-II would need to re-pressurize back to a O2/N2 atmosphere for crew arrival, this needs this idea; https://yellowdragonblog.com/2015/04/11/liquefactionfractionation-unit-to-remove-gases-xenonargon-from-a-gases-hydrogen-or-methane-propellent/ The idea was that a Hybrid Chemicle /SEP EUS would need to remove the chemical fuel from the SEP fuel since there may have been some mixing and a ZBO with a liquid air fractionation unit would do the same trick for the Skylab-II.
Future ISRU would require the same sort of unit too
Yellow Dragon, a mission to repurpose existing ideas into new ideas 