2274. Trends in Subsystems and Accommodations for Manned Spacecraft
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Paper
Abstract
The trends in accommodation and subsystems for manned space flight are cited. With time, the habitable cabin volume has increased tenfold and the cabin pressure changed from pure oxygen to one of oxygen and nitrogen. From Mercury to Shuttle, crew cabin sizes have increased sevenfold. The efficiency of producing power has increased twentyfold through the use of fuel cells in lieu of batteries, and a desorb process has eliminated the need (on long duration missions) for refurbishing cartridges for the removal of CO2. The not-too-distant future shows promise of specialized Earth-to-orbit transportation systems as follow-ons to the all-purpose Shuttle. The new candidate vehicles discussed include single stages for cargo delivery and one with a module installed in the cargo bay for the transport of personnel. A lifting-body configured for crew transport is also shown. With specialization in transports, it is predicted that crew accommodations will trend back to smaller cabin volumes; i.e., to cabins that only serve one purpose, namely as a flight deck for the crew.
