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  What is the definition of "space station"?

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Author Topic:   What is the definition of "space station"?
John Charles
Member

Posts: 339
From: Houston, Texas, USA
Registered: Jun 2004

posted 08-07-2011 09:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for John Charles     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Recent widespread interest in the Chinese space station module, Tiangong-1, has led Dr. Morris Jones and others to remind us that this is not a real space station — more like a resupply module, akin to the Russians' Progress vehicle, even if a crew-capable spacecraft docks with it.

But the term "space station" has been applied to comparable assemblages in the past. The Russians applied the term (albeit briefly) to the docked Soyuz-4/Soyuz-5 vehicles. The U.S. press called the U.S. Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory a space station, although the USAF specifically disclaimed that term.

I have been trying to settle on a definition of "space station". Surprisingly, I did not find one in Dr. Roger Launius's book, Space Stations: Base Camps to the Stars. (Apologies to Roger if I overlooked it.)

A Google search of the term produced nine separate but related definitions from a variety of sources. Happily, all nine required people on-board — but only one mentioned crew rotation or change-out. Six specified an extended duration of habitation (one said "years"). Three mentioned "large". Two included a need for resupply or docking of other spacecraft. Eight mentioned that it was intended to be a venue for "work" or "operations", but only four specifically cited scientific and medical research, and two called out an encouraging set of other tasks (satellite repair, and launching probes and even expeditions).

Now, I ask the collectSPACE readers: what is your definition of a "space station"?

I hope the conclusion is not that we can't say what it is, but we know one when we see it.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-08-2011 12:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I would think that a "space station" is any human-tended, free-flying orbital vehicle, which is not designed to launch or land with a crew, or leave orbit about the planet, but instead be resided upon once deployed into orbit.

I don't see why the activities of the crew should matter, nor why it should matter if the vehicle is continuously or periodically crewed, just so long as it is built with the intent to host a crew that arrives there for any period of time.

moorouge
Member

Posts: 2454
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009

posted 08-08-2011 05:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for moorouge   Click Here to Email moorouge     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Oxford Dictionary, generally reckoned to be the standard, defines a space station as "a large arificial satellite used as a long-term base for manned operations in space".

All times are CT (US)

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