Self-assembling, adaptive, and reconfigurable space structures have the potential to transform the landscape of human spaceflight. However, the vast majority of space stations to date have featured either a single monolithic hull or a central, cylindrical axis with branching, pressure-cylinder modules. Aurelia Institute has started a series of case studies to develop concepts capable of bridging the gap between legacy space stations and future-leaning space architecture, with a focus on designs that are both a departure from traditional designs and backed by established space habitat design principles. This work represents the initial findings from a case study of the human-scale TESSERAE (Tessellated Electromagnetic Space Structures for the Exploration of Reconfigurable, Adaptive Environments) habitat. TESSERAE is a modular space habitat concept that launches as an unconfigured stack of tiles and self-assembles into a truncated icosahedron ("buckyball") shape in orbit. In this study, TESSERAE has been envisioned as a commercial habitat and biotechnology research outpost in Low Earth Orbit, capable of supporting NASA's near-term goals for Commercial LEO Development as well as the rapidly growing market for research into protein crystallization and biologic medicines, which are both enabled by the microgravity environment and life-changing for the people of Earth. This paper presents a snapshot of the case study, including preliminary subsystem analysis, initial trade recommendations for the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) System, thermal management, and power generation, as well as novel interior configurations that address the specific needs of scientists and non-career spaceflight participants based on preliminary user research and best practices from terrestrial architecture. Interior layout diagrams are included and discussed, along with a high-level overview of key environmental mediations.
Rollock et al. (Sun,) studied this question.