Space Habitat Options and Advanced Life Support Design Constraints

This paper addresses a number of construction types and the implications of advanced life support (ALS) system constraints. Space habitats have a number of requirements in common, but are heavily driven by the mission, in particular by the operational environment. Delivery or local manufacturing constraints must also be considered. Life support is one of the primary functions of a habitat, and will be one of the major drivers of the habitat design. Life support will involve a significant commitment of mass, energy (and so heat rejection), and manpower. Different options for life support will require different amounts of these resources. To compare scenarios, equivalent mass (the mass cost of each resource) is used.