II.l: INTRODUCTION 2.1 CHAPTER II SUMMARY OF RESULTS This Chapter describes the final design of the MIT Prototype Space Colony. The design history leading to the configuration presented is the subject of Chapter VI. The structural issues associated with the colony are investigated in Chapter VII. Chapter VIII describes the colony construction and maintenance, and Chapter IX,the scheduling and cost. II.2: OVERALL CONCEPT The space colony designed in this study is a prototype. As such, it combines a small size--its population is 1000--with the design features anticipated in later, larger models. Its purpose is to investigate the viability of the space colony concept,while keeping the program costs down by becoming operational sooner and by providing some economic return through the manufacture of specialized goods. II.3: COLONY CONFIGURATION AND SYSTEMS II.3.1: Major Components: Figure 2.1 presents the three major components (flat mirror, shadow reflector, and the colony itself) of the MIT Prototype Space Colony. These components are located in a stable orbit around the trailing Lagrange point LS. The q-axis shown in the figure is perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The section labeled "colony" spins to provide pseudogravity. Its spin axis is lined up with the q-axis. The elliptical flat mirror is a low-mass trusswork supporting a reflective surface. It redirects direct sunlight to the colony's parabolic mirror. Attitude-control systems on the flat mirror
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