Rocket launchers and green-powered spacecraft / Space architecture and space habitability
On March 23, 2023, the 10th Croatian Space Café took place online, with great success. This space café provided an overview of the current state of development of various propulsion systems for space exploration and their impact on ecology. We talked about the impact of chemical rocket propulsion on the ground and air in the environment, but also about the transfer of space tugs and other spacecraft, and about the use of nuclear thermal and electric thrusters, as well as their combinations.
Nuclear rocket engines may be operational in the near future, but they are not "green technology" because of the nuclear waste they produce, which cannot be safely returned to Earth after their life cycle. Numerous alternatives are planned for the disposal of such waste, and one of them is – sending it straight to the Sun! We believe that this presentation will attract many interested people due to its controversial topic.
Our café also presented the definition of space architecture and what we mean by habitability in space. We talked about who space architects are, what exactly they do, and how they deal with extreme conditions in space. We also opened up other interesting topics such as the habitability of an environment and how it is measured. We also talked about the concepts of Martian and lunar bases.
