This is it; the queen of all the station proposals.
This set the gold standard for all future space station designs and
set the bar so high that nothing that was put in orbit could be
anything but disappointing in comparison. Orbiting at an
altitude of 1075 miles, this three-deck, 250 foot diameter wonder
would be built of reinforced nylon fibre covered with protective
plates and rotate at three RPM to provide the occupants with
⅓ simulated Earth gravity. Serviced by a
fleet of shuttles, the station with its crew of fifty was to
serve as a major jumping off point for exploring the Solar System with
bulbous space taxis ferrying astronauts about as they assembled the
Moon and Mars fleets.
The
interior of the Collier's stationwas thought out in detail. Modeled
after navy ships and manned by military personnel, the station would
boast facilities such as weather monitoring rooms, military
surveillance apparatus, navigational aids; all powered by a
solar-heated mercury boiler & turbine plant. In the centre of
the wheel was a "despun" section housing the airlock.
Price tag for all this? Four billion dollars
in 1952 American currency. That is twice the cost of the
Manhattan project. It was the mark of project worth doing well.
It was also a price tag that would plague space programmes around the
world from day one. Space flight is possible, but it is insanely
expensive.
A closer look at the wheel.
And here is Werner Von Braun
himself describing the station
