I imagine they could have them docked and every three months send one down and send a new one up. Rotating schedule so there is always at least one in orbit at a time. Less concerns about having a perm structure in space.
True but you wouldn’t have to worry about debris in its orbit, or having to run special trips just for supplies and getting rid of garbage, plus you don’t have to worry about maintenance in space. When one is acting up, you undock it and go home.
This disallows long term experiments. And it would be way higher of a cost since you have to take everything with you every time. Toilet? Take it with you. Solar panels, them too. All life support needs to be able to work for months, not just a few days. Take all of those supplies with you. Air lock too. And yes, you still have the risks of debris.
Volume doesn’t equates to capability. Can it keep such a crew alive and doing experiments? How long will it last?
Skylab was pretty much that but terrible to work in and not viable long term.
I imagine they could have them docked and every three months send one down and send a new one up. Rotating schedule so there is always at least one in orbit at a time. Less concerns about having a perm structure in space.
That’s a lot of waste. Keep the heavy structure aloft and move the lighter weight people around.
True but you wouldn’t have to worry about debris in its orbit, or having to run special trips just for supplies and getting rid of garbage, plus you don’t have to worry about maintenance in space. When one is acting up, you undock it and go home.
This disallows long term experiments. And it would be way higher of a cost since you have to take everything with you every time. Toilet? Take it with you. Solar panels, them too. All life support needs to be able to work for months, not just a few days. Take all of those supplies with you. Air lock too. And yes, you still have the risks of debris.
I am kinda tempted to see if some of my KSP obsessed friends could try it.
Some experiments need to stay longer in space and you need to keep some long-term equipment like larger solar panels.
Could move the experiment from one to the other. Not sure about solar panels.