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posted by martyb on Thursday June 13 2019, @11:47PM   Printer-friendly
from the just-*how*-small-is-"very-small"? dept.

Phys.org:

India plans to establish its own "very small" space station in the next decade as the country gears up for a first manned mission beyond earth.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K. Sivan said Thursday that the ambitious project would follow a successful launch of a manned space flight scheduled by 2022.

"Our space station is going to be very small... useful to carry out experiments," Sivan told reporters in New Delhi.

"We are not having a big plan of sending humans on tourism and other things," he added.

OK, but if a guy named Khan Noonien Singh takes over the project, then what?


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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Thursday June 13 2019, @11:55PM (3 children)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Thursday June 13 2019, @11:55PM (#855353) Journal

    I imagine it will be smaller than Skylab:

    ISS volume = 931.57 m3 (32,898 cu ft)
    Skylab = 351.6 m3 (12,417 cu ft)

    As usual, India's ISRO will show how to do it cheap. It also helps that their requirements are low (small size, 2-3 astronauts, maximum 7-day visits instead of months). Perhaps they will do a higher orbit to prevent it from needing periodic boosts, but increasing radiation risk.

    It would be nice if they put an inflatable module or three up there.

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    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday June 14 2019, @02:39AM (2 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday June 14 2019, @02:39AM (#855391) Journal

      Just put a guy in an airtight suit up there, and call it a "space station". You can't get any smaller than that! Three guys = 3 space stations!

      • (Score: 4, Interesting) by takyon on Friday June 14 2019, @03:18AM (1 child)

        by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Friday June 14 2019, @03:18AM (#855399) Journal

        The BFR/Starship will have a pressurized volume greater than the entire ISS. Just send the spaceship up, and you have a space station. Another Starship can be used to refuel it, and that fuel can counteract atmospheric drag.

        It will almost certainly have a docking port so that it could be attached at the ISS. But instead of doing that, you could have a "tube hallway" that attaches to multiple Starships. 32 Starships in a 2x2x8 formation... why not?

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        • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday June 14 2019, @09:21PM

          by bob_super (1357) on Friday June 14 2019, @09:21PM (#855759)

          Attach them together, refuel, light that candle and go explore !

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @12:01AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @12:01AM (#855354)

    Dang, it's another pho-phy.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @01:34AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @01:34AM (#855376)

    in fact they don't even need a toilet! Just think how they can shit all over the moon.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @01:37AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @01:37AM (#855379)

      You beat me to it

  • (Score: 2) by Hartree on Friday June 14 2019, @02:32AM

    by Hartree (195) on Friday June 14 2019, @02:32AM (#855389)

    "OK, but if a guy named Khan Noonien Singh takes over the project, then what?"

    Not to worry. I'm sure realDonaldTrump has that one covered with his Space Force.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @05:06AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 14 2019, @05:06AM (#855415)

    ***shrinkage***!

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