Some Slides from the Space Studies Institute

Low Earth Orbit Spaceport - The existing Alpha space station is fine for research, but we are in need of a space station optimized as a transportation node. An equatorial orbit may be best for supporting traffic to higher orbits, the moon, and beyond.

Solar Power Satellite - A SPS in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit is in sunlight 99% of the time. Unlike ground-based solar arrays, it can generate electricity continuously.

SPS Construction Base - Building Solar Power Satellites in Earth orbit will require massive orbital infrastructure.

Rectenna - SPS power is beamed to a receiving antenna or "rectenna" on Earth. The rectenna converts the energy back into electrical current, which is fed into the power grid. The power beam would be safe for insects and birds flying through, and would not reach plant life growing under the rectenna.

Reusable Lunar Lander - A crane offloads a habitation module from a lander. This lunar effort must proceed in a more sustainable way, for this time we are on the moon not for political purposes, but to do economically valuable work.

Using Soil for Protection - Lunar soil or "regolith" will be piled up over the modules. This will protect the inhabitants from both cosmic rays and micrometeoroids, as well as reduce temperature swings. As it happens, dust in a vacuum is excellent insulation.

Lunar Mining - A mining base powered by solar collectors provides the materials for further construction on the Moon and in Earth orbit.

The Mass Driver - SSI has built progressively more powerful models of the mass driver, a kind of electromagnetic accelerator. Such an electrical catapult could economically launch lunar material into space. Mass drivers with the same accelerating power as has been demonstrated in the lab can do this within reasonable lengths.

Mass Drivers Deliver - Electromagnetic mass drivers using solar power provide low cost transportation of materials to space construction sites.

Lunar Farm - The ability to grow food locally will be vital to economically sustaining human presences on the moon, on other planets, and in orbital habitats.

The Stanford Torus - This space habitat design resulted from a NASA-Ames/Stanford University summer study. It's a wheel 1.1 miles in diameter.