We are students at Cartwright Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona. We are called the Cougars and our school colors are gold and blue. Our principal is Mrs. Fee. The teachers who helped us to make this project possible are Mrs. McGill, Ms. Turetzky, and Mrs. Nixon. Many of us, mostly sixth graders, helped work on this project called Space Station Cartwright Cougarsphere (C.C.S. for short.)
We began the project in September and have worked on it throughout the year. We started with building and blasting off model rockets. After that, we participated in a space station writing contest. Then, we went on a field trip to Biosphere 2 in Tuscon, Arizona. We learned a lot about closed systems there.
When we came back from the Biosphere, we built our own biosphere; Biosphere 3. We examined Biosphere 3 to learn how best to design our space station. While in the designing phase, we had volunteers from Allied Signal and Honeywell help us to understand what goes into making a space station. We also used the Internet and researched from books. We drew pictures of everyone's ideas, debated them, and finally came up with one design.
Once we had a design, we formed a space station club that built a large scaled model of Space Station C.C.S. The club also drew and painted an 8 foot x 8 foot sized mural of Space Station C.C.S. The mural helps to show what it looks like in the station and how Cougarspherians live.
Just as we were finishing the model of our station, Honeywell presented our school with a Space Awareness Award. It has a flag that really flew on one of the space shuttles.
While the building and painting was going on, we formed teams to make the society of C.C.S. Each team worked on one topic. Teams listened to all ideas, then wrote a paragraph or more about their topic. Now we are ready to submit our entry into the NASA Ames Annual Space Station Contest. All of the work has been done by students of Cartwright School. Teachers and volunteers helped to lead us, but the work is all ours.
When designing the station we decided we would like to be a lot like Earth, only it would be orbiting in space. We wanted to have all the things we like about Earth, but at the same time leaving out things we didn't like.
Space Station C.C.S. is torus shaped. It looks like a big donut. The diameter of the torus is 5,776 feet. The torus is divided into six sections. There are two habitat sections where the Cougarspherians live, one section for commercial businesses and laboratories, two sections for agriculture and farming, and one section for government and community services.
Around the interior section of the torus are windows. These windows receive reflected sunlight from mirrors outside the station. These mirrors are regulated by motors and allow for the changing of day to night. Also inside the torus, Cougarspherians will have gravity. The torus will rotate slowly in space to allow this to happen. It will be like gravity on Earth with one main difference, Cougarspherians will walk on what would appear to be the sidewall of the station, and not on the floor like on Earth. Cougarspherians won't really notice the difference, though, or the fact that they are spinning.
In the center of the torus is a section called "The Hub." The Hub's diameter is 450 feet. Inside the Hub there will be little or no gravity. Low gravity laboratories will be here, as well as a low gravity habitat for people who are physically challenged. There will be a recycling center, a solar energy conversion center, and a command center. All air, water, and power will go through the recycling center on it's way to other parts of the station. The power for the station will come from the Solar Energy Conversion Center. Here solar energy collected by solar panels out in space will be converted to electricity. The control center is like the brains of the station. It is filled with computers that monitor everything in, on, and around the station.
In between the torus and the Hub are tubes, sort of like spokes on a bicycle tire. The diameter of the spokes is 50 feet. Inside these spokes are elevators. The elevators let people get from one section of the station to another by way of the hub. Also inside these spokes are the lines that carry water, air, and electricity from the Hub's recycling center to all parts of the station.
Below the torus and Hub is a separate section called the Docking Area. This area is where ships from outside the station come and go. We put the docking area seperate from the main part of the station for two reasons. One reason was just in case a ship had problems and exploded or something, the rest of the station would not be affected. The other reason is to be able to keep track of all who people who come in and go out of the station. In order to reach the main part of the station, a person has to go through a customs station in the Docking Area and then has to travel up an elevator to the main section.
Above the main section of the station is another section. This one is also reached by a separate elevator. It is called the Cartwright Cougarsphere Sports Arena. There will be all kinds of sports people can watch or be part of, including low or no gravity sports. At the very top of the sports arena is our observatory where people can go to check out what they can see out in space through telescopes.
Outside the station, orbiting with the station, are a number of huge solar panels. The station converts the solar energy into electricity. Any energy not used on the station is sent to Earth for the people down there to use.
Space Station C.C.S. will be located about half way between the Earth and the moon. It will move in a geosynchronous orbit. We chose this location because the main purpose of the station is to convert and send energy from the Sun to the people on Earth. Also, we chose it because we would like to be close to home.
Materials for the station will be mined from the moon and nearby asteroids. We decided to mine on the moon for many reasons. Most importantly, we do not wish to take natural resources and other things from Earth when they are already low. We think it would be a lot easier and cheaper to send materials mined from the moon and asteroids. Since the moon's and asteroids' gravity is so much lower that Earth's, it would take a lot less energy. A lot less energy means a lot less money. Another reason is that we could build bases where we are mining to work from. The last reason we will mine the moon and asteroids is that there are many materials available on both the moon and asteroids we want to use. Materials we will use to build C.C.S. include aluminum, silicon, titanium, and lunar soil.
Life support systems include oxygen, water, and food. We will get oxygen from a couple of places. One place will be from all the plants that will be on our station. We will have many different plants that will release oxygen as they take in the carbon dioxide we breathe out. The station will have an air recycling system located in the Hub that will help clean the air as well. Also, we will get some oxygen that is locked up in the moon and asteroids. Last, we will have bottled oxygen, that we got from Earth, available for emergencies.
We will initially get water mainly from Earth. The water used will travel a continuous recycling system that uses a combination of evaporation and condensation. We will also try to mine the newly discovered water on the moon for station use.
For food, we will grow all the food we eat right on the station. We will eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. These will come from the agricultural area that will have plants growing hydroponically and also in lunar soil. Each family will have a small vegetable garden that will help to feed them too. All trees on the station will produce some sort of food, whether fruit or nuts. The station will also have goats for milk, and chickens for laying eggs.
Shielding of the station is very important. Without shielding the Cougarspherians would die from solar radiation. We read all the ideas we could find but did not find any we liked. Some were a lot of work and some made the station really really heavy. We decided that we will invent a new type of shielding. We propose to create a thick gel, kind of like Vaseline, but much thicker. This gel would have all the properties of the sun block that people use on their skin with a few extra things. It would be much thicker and it would shield out all the harmful rays of the sun. Cougarspherians would have to apply it to the outside of the station once in a while like you would a new coat of paint on your house.
The station is powered solely on the solar energy that it collects. The Solar Energy Conversion Center will convert it to electricity and send it out to the different ares of the station. Any electricity left over, which will be a lot, will be sent down to Earth.
Space Station C.C.S. will be an international Earth orbiting station where all Cougarspherians will pledge allegiance to show respect to everyone, promise to get along with everyone, and will be all that they can be. Space Station C.C.S. will collect energy from the Sun, convert into electricity, and send the power down to the people on Earth. Space Station C.C.S. will conduct a number of ongoing experiments in a weightless environment in order to advance the fields of science.
The Population of Space Station C.C.S. will be made of many different races and cultures. All will get along and share themselves with each other. In total, there will be a population of 1000. We feel there should be about 150 young adults. They have a lot to offer the station, such as working at jobs to help clean, and other not so technical work. Also, they can learn in our school so they can make a better future for our people.
We feel there should be about 200 children. They will add life to the station and learn to help run the station one day. We also feel we need 200 parents. We feel there should also be 200 single adults. Together, the adults will take care of the day to day things needed to be done on the station.
Last, we would like to have 100 elderly people who could share their wisdom and learning with everyone. They can take care of the children too.
Finally, anyone who wants to live on Space Station C.C.S. must fill out an application and must be approved before they can live on the station.
There will be a president running the government. The people of Cartwright Cougarsphere are the ones that will decide the laws. The government will not keep secrets from the people. All governmental work and papers will be available for anyone to see. We will be able to visit the Space Station White House. The government will put more health care and more programs to help everyone on the station, not just a select group. The government will not allow any wars. The government will work hard for the people of the Space Station.
Space Station C.C.S. will have laws because they're important. Without laws, people will commit a crime and get away with it. Everyone needs laws so they won't hurt others and they won't hurt themselves. Before becoming a Cougarspherian, a person must read and sign our Laws and Bill of Rights.
Laws and Bill of Rights of The Space Station C.C.S. are:
*No misuse of drugs, no gangs.
*Weapons will be used only for emergencies. No violence, everyone is equal, everyone is free.
*There will be no killing, there will be no slavery, there will be no slander.
*Freedom of religion, freedom to petition.
*Everyone will have access to medical attention.
*No graffiti, no littering.
The laws of Space Station C.C.S. will be enforced. If someone doesn't follow the laws, they will suffer the consequences. The consequences will depend on which law was broken. If a minor crime is committed, such as not following the rules of the moving sidewalk, the person will have to do community service. Any major crime such as stealing or polluting will be prosecuted. If found guilty, the person will be asked to leave Space Station C.C.S.
The C.C.S. security team will concentrate on positive behavior. Colorful and creative signs will be posted around the station reminding Cougarspherians how to solve problems and what to do when they are angry. If a person follows the rules, they will be rewarded.
Rewards will include feeling good about themselves, a public recognition award, and a free vacation to a desired vacation area. Local businesses will also offer gift certificates to people doing a good job.
Law enforcement will train all new Cougarspherians on conflict resolution. The people of the Space Station will like the security team and think of them in a positive way, as someone who wants to keep the station a nice place to live.
There will be two different systems of money on Space Station C.C.S. One will be regular money like on Earth. The other will be a credit card type system. Our money is going to be called Cougars. On the front of the money there will be a space shuttle. On the back of the money there's going to be a picture of the outside of the Space Station Cartwright Cougarsphere.
The credit card system will be based on fingerprinting. Everyone's fingerprints will be on file and easily found by computer when someone wants to buy something. The money will be used for stores, the public pool, and other things. Money can be saved in the bank. The bank also takes care of the credit card system. It will not cost money to use the bank .
Cougarspherians will make money by working at their jobs, such as being farmers, engineers, and other careers.
On our space station we will have restaurants, stores, and places to hang out. One of the restaurants will be called J.V.R's restaurant. J stands for Jessica, V is for Victor, and R is for Ramon. It will serve all different types of food. We will also have A Pizza Planet. It will be like Chucky Cheese. It will have a lot of video games and a lot of pizza too.
We will also have some stores. One of our stores will only have home stuff like beds and tables. Another store will have just food like a grocery store.
In our Space Station, we will have some places to hang out. One of our places to hang out is the new Eye Max Theater. This theater will have a screen larger than any theater on Earth. The other place to hang out is the Low Gravity Center. It will be located in the top section of our station. Here you will be able to do sports, such as basketball and high diving.
The people will stay healthy by taking their medicine and their shots and going to the health care center when needed. We will separate the sick people from the well people, so the well people don't get sick. The sick people will be in a part of the healthcare center until they get better. The Healthcare will have ten doctors, one for every hundred people.
We will take care of the senior citizens by giving them medicine and oxygen. We will give the senior citizens special food if they need it, since they're old people, just like our grandmothers and our grandfathers.
We will make sure that everybody in the space station brushes their teeth. Their teeth will be checked once every six months. We will make sure that everybody eats breakfast, a snack, lunch, another snack, and dinner. The Healthcare will be free of charge for all Cougarspherians.
School
School on Space Station C.C.S will be cool. There will only be one school in the whole space station. The name of the school is Cartwright Space Academy. The colors of the school will be red and black. The color black represents space and the color red represents courage.
Students will learn and go to college.They can learn many things, including how to be an astronaut, an engineer, a decent person, how to play an instrument, and how to work with the computer. Students will have chances to invent rocket parts and space station parts. They will learn science, social studies, health, math, and many other activities. They will learn about the stars and the moon. They will also learn how to use electric cars.
Students will learn by both a computer and a teacher. School hours will be 10:10 am to 2:00 pm. If you were to walk into this school, you would see many things that are different from the schools on Earth. Students would not have to have desks. They would have choices of how they wanted to learn. The ones who work good sitting on the floor would. Those who like a desk could. Those that like sitting at a table with others can. Those who want to do their work on a couch could do that too. Some students would like to work a combination of ways.
Each student would have their own computer to use. They wouldn't need textbooks since the books would be on the computer. There would be lots of stuff to do and touch and check out. There would be one area where students could go if they really needed a study break.
The school would not have a cafeteria. All students would go to the only cafeteria on the station where everyone eats, including the parents. Families could eat lunch together.
Some classes would not even be held at school. Some would be in different parts of the station depending on the class. For example, a recycling class would be in the center hub where the recycling center is. A lot of learning would not even happen at the school. Students on Space Station C.C.S. would love school and really like going.
Jobs on C.C.S. will be numerous. There will be enough jobs for everyone who needs one. In order to get a job, a person must complete an application and go through an interview. It will be part of the initial interviewing process when people first apply to live on the station. Jobs will be not only be to earn money, but to help keep our station running smoothly. Jobs include aerospace engineers, miners, agriculturalists, botanists, recycling scientists and workers, computer technicians, security, parks and recreation personnel, construction workers, solar energy scientists and technicians, teachers, chefs, doctors, nurses, as well as many other jobs. Each and every person who works on C.C.S. will be the top of their field or trade, dependable, hard-working, and will love their job.
Space Station C.C.S. will have different types of housing. There will be both houses and apartments. Only families will live in the houses. Houses will have 2-4 bedrooms with 2-3 restrooms. They will also have a living room, family room, kitchen, patio, and a garden that will include fruits and vegetables for the family to eat.
Some houses will be 2 stories high, and some will be only one story. There will be apartments 3 or more stories high. They will be much smaller than a house. Single people will live in these. They will include a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and a patio garden. The housing and all furniture inside will be made of materials mined from the moon and neighboring asteroids.
There will be many kinds of transportation on our space station. The transportation will include solar powered roller blades, a moving sidewalk, elevators, shuttle crafts, and solar powered low riders. Our solar powered skates would be Inline skates with solar powered rockets to get you back and forth in a fun way.
Our moving sidewalks would be all around the station. They will run by way of opposing magnets. You just step on one and you're off. Our elevators will be in tunnels in the spoke sections of our station. There will be 6. They will allow you to get from one section of the station to another quickly. There will also be an elevator that runs up to the sports arena and one that runs down to the docking bay.
The shuttle crafts will be for travel outside of the station. They would be used to visit Earth, mine asteroids or the moon, and for cruising around in space. Our solar powered low riders, 10 of them, would be for rent only. This would help us to not have a lot of traffic. You could rent a low rider for a nice cruise on the station. All transportation on Space Station C.C.S. would be clean and easy to use.
Space Station C.C.S. will have a parks and recreation department. That department will take care of our community parks, the library, and the sports arena.
Space Station C.C.S. will have a couple of parks. Their names are F.P.G. Park and C.C.S. Park. At these parks people will be able to play, run, exercise, fish, take a small boat on our station's river, or sit and relax. These parks will be full of fruit trees, flowers, water, and nice places to relax. Birds will be chirping in the trees and fish jumping in the water.
The library will also be a nice place to visit. There will be some regular books, but most books and magazines will be on computer. Video check-out will also be available. The library will be a beautiful, tall, building with hanging vegetable and flower gardens from each floor. It will be a place that can be seen from many places in the station, since knowledge and learning will be very important to the Cougarspherians.
The sports arena will be awesome. It is located in a separate section of the station. It is not on the main wheel. Instead, it stands above the wheel and can be reached by elevators. Because of its location, it will have both low gravity and no gravity areas. The sports arena will be called Cougarsphere Arena. People will be able to watch sports as well as participate in sports. There will be low gravity basketball, no gravity diving, space wrestling, and many other sports.
The Arena will also have a gym where people can go just to work out or swim in the pool. A yearly contest that will happen in the Arena will be called the Annual Lowrider Contest. Parks and recreation will make sure that everyone has stuff to do in their time not at work.
We will grow our plants in lunar soil and hydroponically. We conducted experiments on hydroponic plants to consider whether using hydroponics. We decided that we will use it on our station and locate it in one of the agricultural sections. Hydroponics allows us to grow a lot of plants quickly in a very small space. The following pages tell about our experiments and ideas.
Pictures of Space Station Cartwright Cougarsphere Mural
Pictures of the Scaled Model of Space Station C.C.S.
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