below. The isolation of the tank in orbit could allow genetic experiments to be conducted in space that would not be possible on the surface (25, 56, 95). C. Life Support The ET could also be used as an active or passive lifeboat (95). The oxygen or hydrogen tank that is being used for an experiment in waste management or farming would be pressurized. This provides a lifeboat available for use to a stranded crew or the crew of a station that is unable to provide normal life support due to problems or an emergency. The hydrogen tank is large enough to provide several man-months of activity before the C02 levels become dangerous (95). This is a passive life support system. Several tanks in several orbits could provide an excellent safety margin for a large space-based operation. All that is required is to fill the tanks with oxygen or a nitrogen - oxygen mixture at 14.7 psi and release them into the desired orbit. Additionally, the SOFI can provide some radiation protection. The aluminium shell also provides some protection from radiation (95). An additional possible ET life support contribution is gravity. According to NASA scientists, the human body does not tolerate long periods of weightlessness without serious deteoriation of bones and muscles (55). Two ETs can be attached by a tether and swung around each other to create gravity for crews living inside. They can also be attached end to end in the form of a torus and spun up to provide gravity. The ET is structurally strong enough to tolerate the loads imposed by both of these proposals (48). It is even stronger if it is pressurized. The only requirement is to make the rotating facility large enough that coriolis effects are minimized. A rotation rate of 1-3 revolutions per minute seems tolerable at this time but would require experimentation with a crew to find out. This rotation rate also requires either a long tether or a very large diameter torus. III. Military Applications There are also significant military applications possible with the ET and the ET/ACC combination (25, 56). Like the applications mentioned previously, these take advantage of the low cost, large size, and large mass available with an ET. There will be no attempt made here to sell or hide possible
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