The Papers page has been updated with the download link to the paper I presented in Baku, Azerbaijan at the 2023 International Astronautical Congress.

I attended the 2023 International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan last week and presented my updated paper (published in the conference proceedings) Morphology of Polyhedral Space Habitat Modules - Identifying the Ideal Form Using Multi-Criteria Analysis.

The form and function of semi-permanent space habitats has not much changed in the past fifty years. Large space habitat projects remain logistically daunting and unpalatably expensive, especially for a questionable return on investment.

This paper explores the particularities of various polyhedrons for use in a new kind of space habitat typology. The goals of exploring polyhedral modules are to mitigate many of the hitherto unrecognized drawbacks and limitations of the extant cylindrical habitat typology, implement a flexible system for creating large-volume habitats, and provide a relatively low-risk testbed for large habitat construction in orbit. As noted in this paper, the rhombic dodecahedron stands out as a superior shape in comparison to other comparable shapes when structure, economy, and other geometric considerations are taken together in aggregate.