Redesigning O Neill cylinders

On Jan 10, 2005, at 11:25 AM, Costea Andrei wrote:

>
> But I suggest that a torus shape is more efficient. The ratio between
> the habitable area and the material used is more convenient.
> What do you think about this ?

No it's not. A cylinder is the optimal shape to minimize the ratio of
shielding area (which is proportional to mass) to 1g living area. For
a torus this radio is greater than 3.14 (PI actually), for a sphere at
least 4, for a rotational stable cylinder is is about 1.45. Thus, for
the same amount of 1g living area, a cylinder requires half the
shielding mass of a torus.

>
> Alan Patrick wrote:
>
> Hi
>
> Has anyone looked at any optimum curvature it would be possible to
> put on a cylinder to improve the volume/surface area ratio while
> maintaining rotational gravity effects?
>
> Also, its structurally much better to have a curved surface in
> rotation.
>
> Rgds
>
> Alan
>
If the dinosaurs had a space program, they'd still be here.

Al Globus
Evolvable Systems Group (http://ic.arc.nasa.gov/projects/esg)
CSC at NASA Ames Research Center
www.nas.nasa.gov/~globus/home.html

Views expressed in this email are only my opinions and are not the
position of any organization I'm familiar with.