Abstract
This review surveys the origin and conceptual evolution of the space station. It opens with US President Ronald W. Reagan's announcement that one would be developed during the coming decade, continues with an assessment by the Space Science Board of the US National Academy of Sciences of requirements for and potential benefits of a space station, and offers NASA's rationale for its development, construction and utilization. The review examines early space station concepts, beginning with Edward Everell Hale's Brick Moon of 1869–1870 and going on to proposals by space pioneers Tsiolkovskii of Russia, Oberth of Germany, Noordung and von Pirquet of Austria, and others. Considerable attention is focused on designs put forward during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s by individuals, by NASA investigators, and by industrial and other contractors. Langley's rotating hexagon, the space base configurations and other designs are reviewed, and strategies are considered for resolving the problem of integrating a multidisciplinary research program with varying and sometimes incompatible engineering and design requirements. The article describes the power tower and dual keel configurations of the 1980s. The interdisciplinary nature of the space station is evident throughout.
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