@Davedgreat2000 Nice post with interesting comments. I really like the subject and I need you to have a look at my platform based on a permanent space habitat. I do believe as the way I am proposing is so simple all technologies are proven and available. We could launch as soon we accept the project.    

Indeed, I believe it's necessary a head team to organize the works and to be able to put all together.

There is too much work to be done, from the general layout, through the macro-systems until the micro-systems. We can't forget all the logistics to enable this realization, including transport, factory, biological issues, medical care...

I'm an Electrical Engeneer, ready to support this work to, but how to put so much energy in such a non-endorsed subject? I'm looking for answers, but I only found questions so far. Perhaps  after the election and the efective creation of the commetees we may have a better direction.

Hello Asgardian's!

I red this topic with huge interest and want to tell you few thoughts about it. To build space station for 100 000 - 400 000 inhabitants is realy incredible idea, and i think nobody will ague with such thing that we should realize this idea with small steps. 

Here my few thoughts about how this steps should look like: 

1) First of all it is necessary to generate some kind of list of teсhnologies needed for such station, majorly of course;

2) Next we should sort this list for technologies developed and optimized, developed but optimization is weak or it is missing, and technologies which are not developed;

3) Then we can create several groups of engineer to work about technologies from group 2 and maybe 3;

4) And finally for example we can develope settelite (maybe something bigger then cubesat) for fine-tuning technologies;

To create settelite for making some expirements about inventions we developed which needed to develop space station, for my opinion, is the most productive and interesting way to work at. And also it's going to be a real project which is REALY POSSIBLE to implement.

So, what do you think about it asgardian's?

P.S. Of course money for this project should be taken from some kind of crowdfunding.

P.S. Sorry for bad english ))

I'm not an engineer so forgive my simple way of thinking. In my opinion, we could start building the city piece by piece. First of all, we will need means to transport the materials and  the personnel (rocket), a route (launcher) and supplies of raw materials. As far as the rocket and launcher are concerned, we need to think whether we are going to create our own structures or use others that already exist. This decision depends on the costs of the two above suggestions. As for the staff , we need to consider what training they should have, where they will stay in space to start the construction.  Finally, it'd be important to think  if it is in our benefit to extract some materials from the moon (or other celestian bodies). With today's data, could a man work on the moon, or extractions could be made mostly by robots? Is it possible to make an underground base to the moon in order to further protect people from cosmic radiation and allow us to process the raw materials as well? From these questions I come to the conclusion that different teams of engineers should be made and the answers will determine what ultimately should be done. Perhaps it will be something totally different from what I am thinking.

What I really want to say is that it is not wise to plan a schedule for 15 years after, because technological achievements would have overtaken us. Instead of that,  engineers could design what really can be done in the next 5-10 years. If we make a space station for 10 people and start mining the moon, then we will really be the FIRST SPACE NATION.

Like I said in an other thread, in my opinnion, it's good to dream big, and the ultimate goal of the space habitat (either an orbital space station or a moon habitat) is absolutely reachable. However, it is absolutely not realistic to start designing such a structure right away. We're not even close to have the necessary technology, nor the budget. We have to start small in order to reach our ultimate goal (building a space/moon habitat for thousands of us). A first milestone could be to launch a small commercial low orbit station, like Orion Span is intending to do in 2021. I strongly suggest you to take a look at Orion Span project (introduced here for example: https://www.space.com/40207-space-hotel-launch-2021-aurora-station.html?-newsletter&&-sdc). Such a milestone would have multiple purposes for our project: 

(1) We will make money out of a related activity. I call that the SpaceX strategy, whose ultimate goal is to colonize Mars, but is for now developing rockets for commercial use. 

(2) We will learn from our mistakes. Our first station will not be perfect: it will come across many issues, and we will tackle them one by one, methodically and rigorously. 

(3) We can expand it little by little, by "plugging" new modules to the core station. Say on year 1 we start with a station with a capacity of 4 people (just like Orion Span plans in 2021). We will learn a lot, and correct the potential (and inevitable) technical issues that our station will have. Then, on year 2 or 3 (or more), we launch a second module with a capacity of 5-6 people, that will be "plugged" to the first one, and so on. 

(4) In parallel we can allocate a certain proportion of our engineering force to develop a first prototype of station with artificial gravity (most likely a rotational structure). Or a moon habitat prototype.

Anyway, all of this will not be possible until we develop a proper virtual centralized workplace, with a very well structured task management system. I believe before discussing the physical design of a space station, we have to first design the channels through which we will communicate and centralize our engineering efforts.

Amigos no soy ingeniero, pero tengo una idea hace tiempo, porque no construyen desde la tierra la estación espacial:

1 . Se crea una base conteniendo una impresora 3D de aluminio (faltan detalles, pero de aquí se imprime las partes de la estación y se mandan a una órbita diferente para evitar colisiones con los suministros).

2. Se lanza en un cohete normal.

3. Se mandan los suministros de la tierra, en pequeños mini naves, conteniendo filamentos de aluminio, paneles solares, filamentos de cobre, etc. Estas mini naves se envían desde la tierra en un cañón de riel apuntando a la base del cual los impresos y la impresora se encargan de crear los hexágonos o paneles de cualquier forma, los cuales se ensamblaron para darle forma a la estación todo desde la tierra, reciclando toda la mini nave.

Espero que algo de esto sirva para ayudar.