The European philosphy for the establishment of man's presence in space is defined by ESA's European Manned Space Infrastructure Programme (EMSI). The development towards an European manned space station is defined by discrete steps on manned capabilities and technology applications.
Different, alternative evolutionary approaches towards an European space station and key elements have been studied by industry within the last years. Potential orbital scenarios, the habitation module, interconnecting element and escape vehicle were major themes of investigations.
The purpose of this paper is to provide possible concepts for orbital, lunar and martian habitats, based on the recent study results and ESA's EMSI-philosophy. Advanced habitability conceptual designs concerning crew comfort and human factors, resources supply and different utilization aspects will be outlined, pending on the environmental characteristics of the operation sides: on moon, Mars or in low earth orbit.
Key issues of these hab-systems developments in terms of technology needs, operational characteristics and aspects of an international cooperation and European industrial potential are discussed.