Airbus designed a space station with artificial gravity (PICTURES+VIDEO)
When science fiction becomes reality
The International Space Station is nearing the end of its life and many countries are preparing the next step. China already has Tiangong, and India plans to launch its own station in the middle of the decade. NASA, for its part, will work with the private sector on Starlab, the Axiom Space Station and the Orbital Reef.
The European Airbus is also getting into the game, which designed a Multi-Purpose Orbital Module (MPOP) which it called Airbus LOOP . This particular station consists of three floors and can accommodate a crew of four. The height and diameter of the platform is 8 meters, offering about 100 cubic meters of volume inside.
But what stands out about the Airbus LOOP is that it has artificial gravity. The upper floor is where the astronauts live, the middle floor is where the scientific experiments will be conducted and the lower floor is practically a centrifuge that simulates gravity and can accommodate two crew members at a time.
Each floor is accessed through a central tunnel, which is surrounded by a greenhouse structure and can host experiments with plants or provide a constant supply of vegetables, similar to the greenhouses of the ISS.
Each floor can be adapted according to mission requirements, while it can temporarily accommodate up to 8 astronauts. In the design presented as standard by Airbus, the Habitation Deck features large windows and practice equipment. The Science Deck has several computer terminals and an access port that allows the crew to perform spacewalks.
LOOP’s Centrifuge consists of two weights and two crew seats. These pods contain exercise bikes, allowing two people to work out in gravity at the same time, making their workout much more efficient.
Official figures for the gravity it produces have not been released, but centrifuge application calculations give an angular velocity of 3.86 meters per second at 9.2 revolutions per minute to simulate the gravity of Mars, which is 38% that of Earth. It can slow down to 2.55 meters per second at six rotations per minute to simulate the gravity of the Moon.
An extremely useful feature as it will not only reduce the psychological effects of weightlessness in space but also prepare space crews for the conditions they will face when they reach the surface. Airbus emphasizes that LOOP can be combined with LOOP to create a larger space station with multiple segments.
