INTRODUCTION

This is a request for contractors to propose the design, development, construction, and operations planning of a space settlement community in Earth orbit.

STATEMENT OF WORK

• 1 - Basic Requirements - The contractor will describe the design, development, and construction of the space settlement community in Earth orbit, and develop plans for operating and maintaining the community.
• 2 - Structural Design - The space settlement must provide a safe and pleasant living and working environment for 10, 000 full-time residents, plus an additional transient population, not to exceed 300 at any time, of business and official visitors, guests of residents, and vacationers. The design must enable residents to have natural views of space outside and Earth below.
• 2.1 - On exterior design drawing(s), identify large enclosed volumes and their uses, show dimensions of major structural components and design features. Identify construction materials for major hull components. Specify volumes where artificial gravity will be supplied, the means for supplying and maintaining it, and rationale for selection of rotation rates and artificial gravity magnitude(s). Identify volumes maintained in zero or low gravity, and pressurized or unpressurized environments. Specify means for providing protection from radiation and debris penetration.
• 2.2 - Specify allocation of interior "down surfaces", with areas designated and drawings labeled and dimensioned to show residential, industrial, commercial, agricultuiral, and other uses. Specify volume of and state how microgravity and unpressurized facilities are used. Show orientation of "down surfaces" with respect to overall settlement design, and vertical clearance in each area.
• 2.3 - Describe the process required to construct the settlement, by showing the sequence in which major structural components will be assembled.
• 3 - Operations and Infrastructures - Describe facilities and infrastructure necessary for building and operating the community, including conduct business and accommodating incoming and outgoing space vehicles.
• 3.1 - Identify an orbital location for the space settlement, and reasons for its selection. Identify sources of materials and equipment to be used in construction and operations (Earth, asteroids, existing on-orbit facilities, Earth's moon, or elsewhere), means for transporting those materials to the settlement location, and storage between arrival and use.
• 3.2 - The proposed space settlement design will show elements of basic infrastructure required for the activities of the settlement's residents and customers, including (but not limited to):
  • food production (including growing, harvesting, storing, packaging and selling),
  • electrical power generation and distribution (identify kilowatts of power generated),
  • internal and external communication systems,
  • internal transportation system(s),
  • atmosphere/climate/weather control (identify air composition, pressure, and quantity),
  • household and industrial solid waste management, B B
  • water management (specify required water quantity and sotrage facilities), and,
  • day/night cycle provisions.
  • Define transportation corridors and means of access throughout and between facilities, including designs of transportation vehicles for use in and around the settlement. Include a diagram and/or map to show movement of exports from source(s) to port facilities. Drawings of transportation system(s) vehicles and rights-of-way must show dimensions.
• 3.3 - Identify existing or new on-orbit infrastructure required to develop or sustain settlement operations (e.g., vehicles. satellites, and power plants). If new vehicle(s) are required for transporting goods and personnel from Earth orbit to the settlement's orbital location, and/or for transporting construction materials from extraterrestrial sources, the customer intends to encourage commercial development and operations separate from this contract
• 4 - Human Factors - Quality of life is important to customer organization members, who plan to maintain traditional comforts of Earth without the sacrifices normally associated with a frontier environment. Residents expect community attributes that citizens of Earth's large towns might enjoy (e.g., comfortable houses, fine food, access to entertainment). Assure that natural sunlight and views of space outside and Earth below the settlement are readily available to residents.
• 4.1 - The space settlement's communities will provide for services that residents could expect in a comfortable modern community environment (e.g., housing, education, entertainment, medical, parks and recreation, etc.), variety and quantity of consumables and other supplies , and public areas designed with open space and consideration of psychological factors. The proposal must depict or specify means of distributing consumables to the settlement's residents.
• 4.2 - Provide designs of typical residential homes, clearly showing room sizes. Anticipated demographics of the original population are:
  • Married adults: 30% (average age 38, median age 35)
  • Single Men: 37% (average age 35, median age 36)
  • Single Women: 30% (average age 40, median age 35)
  • Children: 3% (average age 11, median age 9)
• 4.3 - Designs of systems, devices, and vehicles intended for use by humans will consider enhancement of productivity (i.e., efficient use of people's time), both inside and outside the settlement. Drawings of these items must clearly indicate their sizes. In parts of the settlement with very low gravity environments, identify means for people to move about safely and in a predictable fashion. Spacesuit designs will be required for work outside of pressurized settlement volumes.
• 5 - Automation Design and Services - specify the number and types of computers, servers, software network devices, and robots required for the space settlement's facility, community, and business operations. Computer system descriptions will include types and capacities of data storage media, data collection, data distribution, and user access to computer networks. Show robot designs, clearly indicating their dimensions abd illustrating how they perform their tasks.
• 5.1 - Describe use of automation for construction. Consider automation for transportation and delivery of materials and equipment, assembly of the settlement, and interior finishing.
• 5.2 - Specify automation systems for settlement maintenance, repair, and safety functions, including backup systems and contingency plans for failures. Define physical locations of computers, servers, and robots for critical functions. Robots required for emergency external repairs must survive and accomplish tasks during solar flare activity. Describe means for authorized persoonnel to access critical data and command computer and robot systems; include descriptions of security measures to assure that only authorized personnel have access, and only for authorized purposes.
• 5.3 - Specify automation systems to enhance livability in the community, productivity in work environments, and convenience in residences. Emphyasize use of automation to perform maintenance and routine tasks, and reduce requirements for manual labor. Provide for privacy of personal data and control of systems in private spaces. Describe access to community computing and robot resources from individuals' homes and workspaces.
• 6 - Schedule and Cost - The proposal will include a schedule for development and occupation of the space settlement, and costs for design through construction phases of the schedule.
• 6.1 - The schedule must describe contractor tasks from the time of contract award until the customer assumes responsibility for operations of the completed settlement. Show schedule dates when residents may begin moving into theirnew homes, and when the original population will be established in the community.
• 6.2 - Specify costs for space settlement design through construction in U.S. dollars, without consideration for economic inflation. Estimate numbers of employees working during each phase of design and construction in the justification for contract costs to design and build the settlement.

Space Settlement Home Page

Curators: Al Globus and Bryan Yager
NASA Responsible Official: Dr. Ruth Globus		Last Updated: July 10, 2007
If you find any errors on this page contact Al Globus.