Space Zoo Patrol – Space Station

By Dr. Michael Baine, Chief Engineer, Axiom

  1. What is the name of the technology?

Axiom Station: A Commercial Space Station in Low Earth Orbit.

  1. What does it do?

Provides a place where people can live and work in the space environment in order to produce goods and services for use on Earth and in space. Low Earth Orbit provides a unique environment that can provide high vacuum (absence of air), extreme temperatures (from cryogenic to plasma temperatures), and the absence of gravitational accelerations (micro gravity). This allows for the manufacture and study of very delicate or complex structures that would normally fall apart when made on the Earth.

  1. How does it work?

Pieces of the Axiom Station are launched with rockets from Florida. Those elements meet up with other elements and are joined together to form a large space station. Each element provides a different function. There are elements that contain the living and sleeping compartments for the crew, others provide laboratory space and industrial manufacturing equipment. Some elements are just for fun and have large windows to gaze on the Earth or rooms where people can fly around and demonstrate superhuman gymnastics.

  1. How is it better than the older technology?

The Axiom station design incorporates the proven experience of the International Space Station while making it more affordable for a larger range of users. Axiom Station provides all the necessary capabilities to support astronaut crews and has incorporated improvements in the recycling of air and water in order to minimize how much of each is needed to be launched from the Earth. Improvements in data networks and power interfaces make it easy for anyone to build an experiment and test out their ideas.

  1. What classes should I take in school to work on this?

It takes a diverse talented team with many backgrounds to support the building of a space station. The people closest to the hardware have a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math background. In order to solve complicated problems that arise in spaceflight, one must have good problem-solving skills and be able to use math and computers to find solutions.

  1. Picture
Space Station 1