04-24-2013, 05:56 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-24-2013, 05:57 AM by stevebowers..)
Ah. Even the 50km high walls of a Bishop Ring aren't sufficient to keep the atmosphere in efficiently, so they need a thin transparent membrane as well. The tube of a Stanford Torus would be under almost full atmospheric pressure so would need a more substantial roof.
If you include a mirror into the Stanford Torus design, it does receive sunlight in a more controllable fashion; but it also adds extra heat to the habitat, which is why the traditional design includes a radiator. Without a mirror the ring receives light direct from the Sun, like a Banks Orbital.
If you include a mirror into the Stanford Torus design, it does receive sunlight in a more controllable fashion; but it also adds extra heat to the habitat, which is why the traditional design includes a radiator. Without a mirror the ring receives light direct from the Sun, like a Banks Orbital.