Category Archives: In Space Infrastructure

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

In-space colonies

August 5, 2013 TopSpacer

Space.com today has an article and the infographic shown below about the in-space colony concepts developed by Princeton Prof. Gerard K. O’Neill and his collaborators during the 1970s and 80s. (They got some NASA grants but it’s a huge exaggeration to say NASA had a “plan to put thousands of people in Space Colonies”.)

See the Space Studies Institute for more details and the HobbySpace Art section for links to more space colony artwork.

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration.

In Space Infrastructure, Rockets, Science and Technology

FISO: Direct Fusion Drive for Fast Mars Missions with Orion Spacecraft

July 25, 2013 TopSpacer 4 Comments

The latest presentation to the Future In-Space Operations (FISO) study group is now posted in the FISO Working Group Presentations Archive. Both slides (pptx) and audio (mp3) are available for the talk, Direct Fusion Drive for Fast Mars Missions with the Orion Spacecraft, Joseph Mueller , Princeton Satellite Systems, July 24, 2013.

The Direct Fusion Drive mentioned here seems related to that of John Slough at the Univ. of Washington (see Update on Univ. Washington fusion propulsion project).

In Space Infrastructure, Space Systems

FISO: Surface telerobotics concepts

July 12, 2013 TopSpacer

The latest presentation to the Future In-Space Operations (FISO) study group is now posted in the FISO Working Group Presentations Archive. Both slides (pdf) and audio (mp3) are available for the talk, Surface Telerobotics, Ed Tunstel , APL/JHU – July 10, 2013.

Education, In Space Infrastructure, Space Systems

FISO: SPHERES robots for research on the ISS

June 28, 2013 TopSpacer

The latest presentation to the Future In-Space Operations (FISO) study group is now posted in the FISO Working Group Presentations Archive. Both slides (pdf) and audio (mp3) are available for the talk, SPHERES Distributed Satellite Algorithm Research Aboard the ISS, Alvar Saenz-Otero, MIT – June 26, 2013.

The presentation gives the details behind the robotic SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites) used on the ISS for research and student competitions.

See also the website SPHERES and Zero Robotics websites at MIT.