New Perspectives in Science Education

Creating something from nothing is incredibly inspiring, not only for the creator, but for everyone who observes. Everything begins with Inspiration and the attitude that Impossible is Nothing.

Apinta is a qualitative space biosphere design. It is intended to house 16,000 residents with residential system, agricultural sections and industrial regions with a cylindrical hub large enough for 1g rotation. The shielding, exterior and construction bays are non-rotational.

APINTA is visualized using state of the art computer graphics hardware and software to produce a 3 dimensional, animated, lighted, shaded, texture mapped surface model.

APINTA cylindrical hub minimize shielding mass per unit of 1g living area compared with other feasible shapes. Radiation shielding dominates the mass of most space settlement designs. APINTA axis of rotation is aligned with the solar system’s north-south axis to provide continuous natural light through transparent end caps. Exterior maintenance is by teleoperated, semi-autonomous robots. Every work will be done on the lunar basis of the

earth. Space mining will be the most effective technique that will be used in the construction process. Emergency power will be provided by Hyper ex solar cells, while the shakelton crater on moon and Vastitas Boralis will be used as water resources. The 1g living area in the hull is supplemented by internal cylinders at lower g-levels for industry, storage, agriculture, retirement communities and recreation The design is orbit specific which will be transferred to martian surface through the low earth orbit of earth at an altitude of 600km high enough to provide rapid entry into the earth’s

atmosphere and minimise reboost requirements, but low enough for the van Allen belts to provide radiation protection to reduce shielding mass. Since providing sufficient materials is one of, if not the, most difficult part of building the first orbital space settlement, it is hoped that APINTA design and initial location will bring settlement to the cosmos a bit closer to

reality.