[FPSPACE] Tiangong -- is it even feasible?

[jeoberg at comcast.net]

I have a fundamental question: Assuming a mini-lab mass of 8 metric tons,
on par with Shenzhou, is it even feasible to build a life support system capable 
of keeping a crew alive for six months, say? There are just so many systems
that cannot be miniaturized beyond a certain point, and there's just the mass
of consumables -- quite a high number. How does China intend to accomplish this?
How would it have been done on the USAF MOL, perhaps the best analogy, or
the Korolev bureau's 'Soyuz trains' that were designed to fly without Proton-class
boosters?

How, for example, considering the small volume, will they manage their trash?
A jettison-lock? Would the station even include an airlock for EVA? Or would the
Shenzhou OM serve that purpose AND have the rendezvous and docking mechanisms?
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.friends-partners.org/pipermail/fpspace/attachments/20081003/a4f62e7a/attachment.html