Time Ordered Steps for Building the Enterprise

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I’ve been thinking about the time order for building different parts of the Gen1 Enterprise in space. One thing to keep in mind, as seen by the schedule, is that the first nine years of the Enterprise program will be only for intensive research, doing conceptual designs, and for fab & testing of prototype components.

Below is a list of steps in time order for the building of hardware in space for both the Gen1 Enterprise and infrastructure. Everything listed is launched into space and assembled with other hardware there. Nothing is launched into space until year 11 of the 20 year schedule. Heavy Lifters and launch pads on earth are developed throughout the first 10 years so that the first Heavy Lifter mission launch is ready to go at the start of year 11. Some activities on the list occur parallel in time.

Each Heavy Lifter rocket can carry a one million pound payload. After the first one of these rolls out on to a launch pad at the start of year 11, a steady stream of hardware begins being sent into orbit over the next decade.

Starting at year 11, there are millions of pounds of high-mass, low-tech materials that need to be sent into space, and these can be the focus of the first three years of Heavy Lifter launches. An advantage of this approach is that the advanced technology parts of the ship have more time in the development phase.

1. Water tanks, Argon tanks, Oxygen tanks, Nitrogen tanks, Hydrogen tanks – Years 11-13
2. Five Robotic Assemblers – Year 13
3. Three Propellant Depots (solar powered, electric propulsion, diverse supplies) – Years 11-14
4. Universal Landers (not assembled in space but takes people into space) – Years 14-20
5. Storm Shelter (shelter hull, power system, life support, electronics, etc.) – Year 14
6. Truss work for saucer hull and main engine connecting bar – Years 15-16
7. Spaceport doors on lower saucer hull – Year 16
8. Impulse engines – Year 16
9. Hull skins for saucer hull and main engine connecting bar – Year 16
10. Life support systems: air processing, heating, plumbing, waste handling – Year 16
11. Electrical: wiring, lighting, control electronics, computers, networks, back-up power – Year 17
12. Electromagnets and permanent magnets – Year 17
13. Gravity wheel and elevators – Year 17-18
14. Gravity wheel furnishings and overall ship supplies – Year 18
15. Sensors and 100MW laser – Year 18
16. Truss work and skins for the three engine hulls and aux engine connecting bars — Year 19
17. Radiators – Year 19
18. Three nuclear reactors and three electric propulsion engines – Year 19-20
19. Active radiation shields (if a technically viable solution is found) – Year 20

The region in space where the Enterprise gets assembled does not resemble a shipyard on earth much since no cranes or holding rigs are needed. Instead, five roving Robotic Assemblers that specialize in spacecraft assembly work will be all that’s needed. Robotic arms on these Robotic Assemblers can perform “fly in place” connecting of newly arriving components on to the existing Enterprise body. Humans in space suites may need to help occasionally, but the goal will be that they are generally controlling the five Robotic Assemblers instead. Whether five is enough Robotic Assemblers to meet the schedule demands is for the future construction team to figure out.

The ship construction starts with the storm shelter that will eventually be near the center of the saucer hull. This storm shelter is surrounded by layers of argon propellant tanks for blocking radiation from space. Thus the first thing a visitor to the Enterprise construction site would see in the early ship construction years is a huge box-shaped collection of propellant tanks with a storm shelter buried at the center of it. Once completed, this storm shelter serves as a space station where workers will stay. In time the ship grows around the storm shelter on all sides, and it disappears from view unless you are inside the saucer hull looking for it.

Once the saucer hull is sealed, pressurized, and heated human workers can do a lot of the finishing work on the inside of the Gen1 Enterprise and space suites are no longer needed. (I bet a lot of people would enjoy these jobs of bringing the Enterprise to life.)

http://www.buildtheenterprise.org/