Nautilus-X
Nautilus-X spacecraft
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| Operator | NASA |
|---|---|
| Applications | Multi-mission manned spacecraft |
| Production | |
| Status | Concept |
Nautilus-X (Non-Atmospheric Universal Transport Intended for Lengthy United States Exploration) is a multi-mission space exploration vehicle concept developed by engineers Mark Holderman and Edward Henderson of the Technology Applications Assessment Team of NASA.
The concept was first proposed in January, 2011 for long-duration (1 to 24 months) exo-atmospheric space journeys for a six-person crew. In order to limit the effects of microgravity on human health, the spacecraft would be equipped with a centrifuge.
The design was intended to be relatively inexpensive by manned spaceflight standards, as it was projected to only cost US$3.7 billion. In addition, it was suggested that it might only need 64 months of work.
The original goal of Nautilus-X was to be a stopover to long-term missions for the Moon or Mars. To ease route planning of the whole mission, the station would be placed at the Lagrange point L1 or L2 of the Moon or Mars, depending on which location is to be visited.
It would also have served as an emergency station and hospital for current mission crews.
Other objectives included:
The proposal notionally included a 6.5 by 14 metre main corridor, a rotating habitable centrifuge, inflatable modules for logistical stores and crew use, solar power arrays, and a reconfigurable thrust structure.
The design was modular, enabling it to accommodate any of a number of mission specific propulsion modules, manipulator arms, docking port for an Orion or commercial crew capsule, and landing craft for destination worlds. In theory the engines and fuel could be swapped out depending on the mission. The proposal also had an industrial slide-out airlock unit and a command, control and observation deck.
On the other end of the docking port would have been the spacecraft's centrifuge equipped with an external dynamic ring-flywheel. Behind the centrifuge would be water and slush hydrogen tanks, which could mitigate the dangers of cosmic radiation for the crew, to a certain degree. In the aft of the craft are the communication and propulsion systems.
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