Orbital Sports Stadium

摘要

Recently the idea of space tourism has gained considerably in credibility, with the publication by NASA, the AIAA and Japan's Federation of Economic Organisations (Keidanren) of reports endorsing its feasibility and recognising it as the most promising commercial market in space. As the space hotel business matures, orbital facilities are expected to grow in size and sophistication, as ever more exotic hotels are developed on Earth to attract customers. Various kinds of sports centers are expected to be popular with guests of space hotels, and this paper considers a full-size sports stadium large enough to accommodate major sports events, 100m in length and 60m in diameter. Such a large structure will be assembled in orbit from components launched in volumetrically efficient packages. The paper discusses the requirements for such a facility, major aspects of the stadium design, and the stadium's relation to the hotel itself. Key topics which need further research are also discussed. The paper concludes that once travel-costs to low Earth orbit fall to less than $20,000/person, such a project will become feasible financially as well as technically.