Ender Space Settlement Design Contest. 2014-2015 Kelly DeRees David Sugg Special Note
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Type of Emergency Procedure
- 14.0 Society 14.1: Organization of municipal government
- 14.2: The Election of Government Officials
13.0 Emergency Protocol In case of an emergency aboard Ender, citizens will follow one of many possible emergency procedures. Each major type of emergency has been classified and ranked in the emergency code system to provide a summary of procedures for each type of emergency. In case of structural damage due to a broken pipe, debris impact, etc., the emergency protocol for structural damage will be followed (see chart below). Depending on the severity of the damage, sections of rings or entire rings may be evacuated. If the damage is severe enough, the entire colony will be evacuated using the habitat modules discussed earlier. “Evacuation Lifeboats” Image from http://www.rocketstem.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Picture_3_BA_330_mars-with-logo.jpg Image credit: Bigelow Aerospace One valuable evacuation system that the settlement is equipped with is the “lifeboat” evacuation system. The lifeboats are large inflatable habitats similar to those being developed by Bigelow Aerospace. The benefit of using inflatable habitats instead of more permanent structures is that more lifeboats can be transported more efficiently to the station during its initial construction because deflated habitats are much smaller than a permanent structure. The smaller size of the inflatable habitats allows for easier transportation of each lifeboat throughout the station if lifeboats need to be replaced. Each habitat will be roughly 27.432 meters long with a diameter of roughly 13.4 meters. These values were based on a calculation that doubled the size of Bigelow Aerospace’s BA 330 inflatable module which has a length of 13.7 meters and a diameter of 6.7 meters (Tate, 2013). The BA 330 can hold up to six astronauts and so the lifeboat habitat for the space settlement is two times as large to accommodate 12 escaping personnel (Tate, 2013). Each inflatable habitat will have a small propulsion package attached to one end of the structure and a docking port on the opposing side with RSC thrusters for stable maneuvering as well as a hatch. This propulsion package will consist of solar panels, reaction control system (RCS) thrusters utilizing monomethylhydrazine as a fuel source because it is a hypergolic fuel commonly used for space maneuvering, and a small rocket engine that utilizes Aerozine 50 fuel due to its ability to be stored in normal temperatures and its common use in interplanetary spacecraft (Braeunig, 2008). Aerozine 50 is unlike cryogenic fuels such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen which must be stored at very low temperatures (Braeunig, 2008). The benefit of this is that less complex systems and structures will be needed to store a fuel that does not need to be stored at such low temperatures. Since the lifeboats may be “dormant” and unused for long period of time, the fuel must be reasonably easy to store. These lifeboat habitats are filled with various supplies to support a dozen individuals for up to several weeks. These supplies include oxygen, food, water, basic sleeping quarters, and basic medical equipment. Because these lifeboat habitats have their own propulsion system, they have the ability to travel back to the Earth. Once there, the habitat could dock to an orbiting space station and the individuals could be transferred to a spacecraft with reentry capabilities or spacecraft with reentry capabilities could directly dock to the habitat to rescue the people inside and return them to Earth’s surface. In another scenario, if only one or two lifeboats eject from the settlement and the emergency has not affected the settlement as a whole, vessels from the settlement can travel to the lifeboats and return the people and the lifeboat to the entire station.
thrusters The lifeboat habitats represent some of the components that are constructed into the lattice work of the outermost personnel ring segments. Between each lifeboat habitat are several living space components (personal homes). One lifeboat is constructed for several living space components because multiple families or individuals can fit into the emergency escape lifeboat. These lifeboats are only constructed into the outer personnel ring segments because this provides a clear escape route for the lifeboat. Since the settlement rings are spinning, once a lifeboat habitat ejects from the settlement (using pyrotechnic systems and RSC thruster translation input), it will travel in a straight direction that is tangential to the point of ejection. If a lifeboat were constructed in an inner ring, the habitat would be at risk of hitting the spinning settlement, since the lifeboat is no longer spinning with the rings. Because of this problem, habitats are built into the outer personnel ring segments so they can travel in a straight line with no obstacles beyond the outer segmented ring. This image of the ring layout shows the trajectory of an emergency lifeboat when it ejects off of the outer Residential level A potential ring evacuation procedure is described below: 1. Inflatable habitats are positioned around the outer personnel segmented ring. Each habitat is filled with emergency supplies and is stored in a horizontal position (similar to other components on the settlement). 2. Catastrophe affects a small part of the station or the entire station (this could include a debris strike, fire, or structural failure). 3. A command to initiate electrical systems, life support systems, and the flight computer will be automatically sent to all habitats that are in a designated area by either a system that identifies a sudden loss in electrical power, life support systems, a structural failure, or extreme temperature changes or a command can be sent to an area by emergency systems personnel. 4. People who are affected by the emergency will enter the habitat through its hatch that is accessible from the lattice work of the station since the habitat is positioned horizontally and not vertically in reference to the ring surface. 5. The habitat will be ejected from the settlement using pyrotechnics and by firing the RCS thrusters, an automated procedure. At this point, the lifeboat habitat is free from the settlement. 6.
In case of any of these emergency situations, an alert will sound, followed by an announcement of the emergency and directions for residents follow. In a fire emergency, the affected section of the colony will be evacuated, then quarantined to prevent the fire from spreading. Sprinkler systems will activate, and firefighters will use the roads to quickly reach the scene to put out the fire. Paramedics will follow to treat any injured citizens. The citizens will be evacuated first, before quarantine. The firefighters will then rescue any remaining citizens trapped in the burning structure, transferring them to the paramedics for medical treatment, if necessary. If the fire is severe enough, evacuation of an entire ring will occur, and if necessary, the entire colony will be evacuated. In the case of a depressurization (probably caused by impact from space debris), the affected area of Ender will be evacuated and the area will then be quarantined. The reaction control system will engage to hold the spacecraft steady (to avoid drifting or spinning as a result of the gas rushing out of the spacecraft). If extreme damage results from an impact or depressurization event, the entire colony will be evacuated (for example, if the structural integrity of the colony is severely compromised or if there is not enough oxygen to sustain life). If oxygen is extremely low by the time any kind of quarantine can be put in place, backup oxygen systems will engage. Masks similar to those on airplanes will drop from the ceiling if the spacecraft is so compromised that it will not hold air for more than several minutes. The masks will be connected to centralized oxygen cylinders, and while not ideal, could possibly buy time for residents to retreat to an escape habitat. In a case that involves extreme structural damage, the rotation of Ender could cause further damage and cause the spacecraft to start drifting dangerously close to other spacecraft. In a very severe structural damage emergency, Ender’s rotation will be stopped as best as possible to avoid worsening the damage. If criminal activity occurs, it will either be dealt with by law enforcement officials or special forces teams, depending on the severity of the crime. Most public disturbances or crimes are anticipated to be relatively small, but if a major crime is committed (such as murder), the suspect will be immediately sent to Earth for a trial once he or she is caught by police forces. In the case of a Code Yellow or Code Orange (see chart) emergency situation, only the quarter of Ender in which the crime was committed will be notified of the situation. In the case of a Code Red, however, the entire colony will be alerted.
14.0 Society 14.1: Organization of municipal government The municipal government aboard the settlement is based on the United States’ Republican form of government. The settlement government is a scaled-down version of the United States’ three branch government system. The Executive Branch is designed to “carry out and enforce laws” (“U.S. Federal Government,” 2015). The Executive Branch will be headed by a single individual with the title of “Executive” and there will be no individual in the place of a Vice President. The Executive may appoint several advisors. The Executive is the commander-and-chief of the settlement and he or she will serve a four-year term, just like the President of the United States. The Executive can also run for re-election for one more four-year term for a maximum of eight years in the position of Executive. The Executive can appoint directors of major municipal departments such as waste management services, police and fire services, health services, and transportation (internal and external deep space travel). Beyond these appointed directors, traditional hiring processes will be implemented. The Legislative Branch on board the settlement is designed to “enact legislation and create laws” (“U.S. Federal Government,” 2015). Unlike the United States, however, the Legislative branch on board the settlement will only consist of one legislative house instead of two (Senate and House of Representatives in the case of the United States). Since the settlement population is considerably smaller than the population of a country like the United States, only one legislative house is necessary. There will be 40 members in the Legislative Branch. The Legislative Branch is meant to create new policies related to issues that may arise in the new environment of space. Members of the Legislative Branch will serve six-year terms. The Judicial Branch on board the settlement is designed to “evaluate laws, interpret the meaning of laws, and apply laws to individual cases” (“U.S. Federal Government,” 2015). The court system on board the settlement will only consist of one Supreme Court Justice that will rule on various cases. There court system is more limited due to the smaller population on the settlement as compared to Earth. Also, more serious crimes will be handled in courts on Earth in the United States.
The Executive of the settlement will be elected through direct voting of the population. There will be no Electoral College system and all votes by the population will be directly counted. The one Supreme Court Justice will also be voted for directly by the population, unlike in the United States where the President nominates Supreme Court Justices. With regard to the one legislative house in the Legislative Branch, there will be 40 elected officials. One legislative member will represent 250 people on board the settlement. The segmented personnel ring is divided into physical “districts” of 250 people that vote directly for the person that will represent them in the Legislative Branch. The members of the legislative house represent 10,000 people which do not include the up to 300 transient people that may visit the settlement. The Executive may only appoint directors of municipal organizations as well as his advisors, which are not voted for. 14.3: Legal system The settlement is considered to be similar to a territory of the United States. The Executive of the settlement acts as a governor-type figure of this “territory.” Therefore, the Executive of the station does not have the same level of authority as the President of the United States. The guidelines that the settlement’s government follows are based off of the United States Constitution. The government must abide by similar restrictions and people are given similar liberties. Current national laws in the United States would apply to the settlement. The settlement, as a territory, can create new laws and policies through its legislative branch and the population can participate in the enactment of many of these new policies through voting. However, all new laws must not conflict with fundamental constitutional principles and the law must not be unconstitutional as determined by the Supreme Court on board the station. Since this settlement is on a completely different frontier, it is expected that new issues will be encountered and special laws that are only really necessary in this setting will have to be enacted. Also, certain rules and policies of Earth may prove unrelated or impractical aboard the settlement and with proper permission, the settlement can alter previous policies the United States may have created (to a degree) in order to improve a situation on board the settlement. One unique “natural right” aboard the settlement will be the right to have life support systems at no cost. While water and electricity are utilities with bill payments, life support systems are not a utility and do not cost additional money. 14.4: Postal Service Because 300 of Ender’s residents at any given time will be temporary (for business, tourism, etc.), there must be a ferry to take this transport this portion of the population to and from Earth on a regular basis. If any residents or tourists on Ender at a given time wish to send mail to Earth, they will have the opportunity using the postal service. Due to the high cost of space travel, the postage fees will be very high, but if they are willing to pay to send their space postcards, the service will be available. Ender will even have its own postage stamp, made from completely natural products from the agriculture ring. The postcards will, of course, also be printed on all-natural paper made from corn and soy products. 14.5: Education There will be one school on Ender, divided into three sections: elementary, middle, and high school. Each curriculum will follow the same basics as the curriculum standards set by the United States Department of Education, but Ender will hold the same rights as a state in education because it will be allowed to design its own specific curriculum around the federal requirements. Ender’s curriculum will focus on agriculture and sustainability to instill a deep concern and care for Ender’s environment. There will be one small college on Ender, called Bayberry College. Bayberry will specialize in agriculture, mining and manufacturing, teaching, and medicine, the four critical areas of operation aboard Ender. If a student wishes to study any other subject, he or she will have to attend college on Earth. Of course, college is not mandatory for Ender’s citizens, and there will also be many training programs available through the high school for students that wish to focus on trades.
An important part of public safety is health. Various measures to keep the population of Ender healthy on a daily basis have already been discussed (ventilation, water, etc.). With the small population of travelling residents (going back and forth between Ender and Earth), diseases from Earth are a serious concern. Since Ender is a closed environment, diseases can be spread quickly and easily. For this reason, every resident aboard Ender, whether permanent or temporary, must be current on all of their vaccines, including varicella, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and polio. If one of these diseases were to break out aboard Ender, the results could be disastrous, so vaccinating every resident as soon as they are old enough will be instrumental in protecting public health. In some people, however, vaccines aren’t as effective, leaving him or her exposed to disease. Because every citizen will be vaccinated, though, this will not raise concerns for the public health. Vaccines have proven to be effective for immunization 90-100% of the time (US Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). This high success rate for vaccines makes them one of the most powerful tools available on Ender to safeguard the health of the public. Image showing effects of immunization. Image from http://www.vaccines.gov/basics/protection/index.html Another system to protect the public health will be free general healthcare provided by the municipal government of Ender. If a citizen gets sick or injured, he or she will be able to visit the doctor without worrying about medical costs. The costs of general healthcare (for things like antibiotics, care of broken bones, etc.) will be covered by taxes paid by Ender’s population. Ender will have one central hospital with two emergency centers (one on either side of the business ring), and two urgent care centers. The abundance of medical centers will ensure that each resident is within minutes of healthcare, no matter where they are aboard the spacecraft. If a resident has a heart attack or stroke, for example, Ender will be equipped to treat him or her. An ambulance system will be available as part of the public safety package discussed below and paramedics will be employed by the hospital. Because there will not be many cars aboard Ender (most residents will walk or ride bikes), the roads will always be clear to allow emergency vehicles to quickly reach their destinations. This will allow a resident in need of medical assistance to be helped as quickly as possible. As mentioned above, the healthcare provided for free to the citizens is “general” healthcare. This encompasses emergency procedures, regular visits to the doctor, and the cost of antibiotics and X-rays. Sometimes, though, a resident needs a very expensive and complex procedure, like a kidney transplant. The cost of these operations is too high to ask the taxpayers to support, so health insurance will be available. Health insurance will be mandatory to ensure that the taxpayers don’t end up footing the medical bill of someone who didn’t buy insurance (whatever the reason may be). Insurance, however, should not be too much of a financial burden for any citizen because most wages aboard Ender are expected to be relatively high due to the specialized nature of the jobs available. If a resident needs financial assistance to afford health insurance, they can seek help from the municipal government. The resident will be required to show their employment status. Should they be unemployed, they will have to show evidence of job searching unless they have a disability that does not allow them to work. In a disability case, the government will ask the family of the resident to help support as much as they can financially, but will provide assistance to the resident in need. On a closed system like Ender, mental health is especially important. The psychological effects of living in space for long periods of time are not yet fully understood because the longest space missions to date have not extended beyond one year. The citizens of Ender are expected to live their entire lives in space. If they never choose to leave Ender for Earth, citizens will begin and end their lives 1.5 km from Earth at L2. Even though these residents will live their entire lives in space, they will still be programmed to look for Earth-like patterns because humans have evolved that way and it is in their nature and instinct. It is important to safeguard the mental health of the residents as much as possible, because if they start to deteriorate emotionally, Ender’s success could hang in the balance. To help with psychological health, Ender will mimic Earth as much as possible. Artificial gravity will keep citizens on their feet. Lighting will be dimmed and raised to mimic sunset and sunrise, as well as the natural progression of light throughout a normal Earth day. Windows will provide views into space so the citizens don’t feel claustrophobic, but the windows can be covered if citizens feel overwhelmed by the vastness of space. The lights that mimic sunlight (mentioned earlier) will be placed in hallways, open spaces, and in windows. The lights will be placed in windows so the residents can experience waking up to a “sunrise” and going to bed to a “sunset” rather than living every day in a constant intensity of light. These measures, as well as education programs in the school to teach the population what to look for in an emotional breakdown, will help preserve the psychological health of Ender. For residents with mental illnesses, rigorous healthcare will be available. In the US, mental health is often treated as a “fake” issue. Mentally ill citizens of the US are often seen as “weak” or “attention-seeking,” and the medical systems in place to care for these patients are usually not adequate. On Ender, mental health will be a very important cause. 14.7: Public Safety Ender will have a police force, firefighters, paramedics, and a defense sector (see defense section for more information). These groups of people will protect the public aboard Ender and enforce the municipal and federal laws that govern the colony. The police and firefighters will have nearly identical roles on Ender as they do on Earth. Other aspects of public safety, including emergency protocols, healthcare, and waste management, have already been discussed, and this section serves as an overview to connect those aspects. Since they go together and fit under one “umbrella,” this section serves to tie them all together and make an association between them. Yüklə 266,73 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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