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Nautilus-X: the Space Station With Rockets
astroengine writes "So we have a space station, now what? We've heard some rather outlandish ideas, but this is one concept a research group in NASA is taking seriously. By retrofitting the ISS with rockets, Nautilus-X will act as an interplanetary space station of sorts, including room for 6 astronauts, an artificial gravity ring, inflatable habitats and docking for exploration spaceships. When can we take a luxury cruise to Mars? 2020 by the project's estimate. It all sounds very 2001, but the projected costs of retrofitting the space station seem a little on the low side."
Can't work, won't work -- and there's no money in any case.
Some basement dweller needs to get a girlfriend. And a smack around the head for wasting everyone's time for even suggesting it.
There are some excellent reasons why this stupid idea (literally) won't fly:
The station is designed to have a very limited lifetime of 20 years.
It's designed to be serviced, refueled and resupplied by LEO spacecraft (Shuttle, Soyuz, visiting vehicles). Without regular resupply, it's useless
Shielding. Move it too far, and shielding wouldn't be adequate for protecting human occupants. Adding shielding is a total non starter.
Thermal issues: the station is very carefully designed to cope with the thermal environment of it's low Earth orbit. Move it too far, it'll overheat quickly. It's flat-out radiating away heat from Station systems as it is without being exposed to the full brunt of the Sun 24/7.