Some Early Space Station Concepts and Designs: Ideas That Were Envisioned Before Their Time

1960s Proposed USAF Orbiting Space Station and Space Shuttles

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This is a concept depiction of a orbiting space station that the USAF (United States Air Force) was considering in the 1960s. The intent was that a two-person crew would spend a month aboard the station before being rotated out and brought back to Earth. The orbiting station was to be called “MOL”, the Manned Orbiting Laboratory.

MOL concept Design

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This would be the body of a rocket and a Gemini-style craft would be the ‘shuttle’ that would return the astronauts to Earth at the end of each mission.

The project time-line was pushed back and ultimately the USAF had spent a third of a billion dollars by 1969 with the then-projected cost estimated to be nearer to one billion dollars, so the project was terminated.

Some of the Air Force personnel that were selected for manning the proposed station would later transfer to NASA and be among the Space Shuttle astronauts. Cited is Shuttle Astronaut Richard Truly whom also later in his career became the Administrator at NASA.

Looking More Familiar – Another Space Station Concept Design

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Here is a more familiar space station concept; a radial design with a central docking station from which to offload crew and supplies. This is not too farfetched for the 1960s when this design was created.

Nuclear Power in Space: A Proposal

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Another concept design, this one includes the use of a SNAP-II atomic power source on the end of a telescoping boom-arm. Because atomic energy was considered to be dangerous the concept design shows the nuclear pile extended away from the main crew quarters and laboratory sections of the orbiting craft.