Building the Ball - Part 1

Once the Buckyball structure has been built using 5 to 6 space construction workers armed with basic tools - rachets to securing bolts between struts, grabbers for moving struts into place and EVA packs with the provision of emmergency EVA replenishers and a Dragon capsule to supply all the needs of the workers.

Hardy individuals can last upto two weeks working with food and provisions before the effects of zero-G becomes difficult to work under.

The 'Canvas' Layer is attached carefully rather like the canvas on a tent and is rolled out in one huge peice. Coordination is essential as each corner must be moved over the structure and afixed in exactly the right position. After it has be attached then each worker sets about attaching it to every vertex using the presupplied clips each clip is then tightened until the 'Canvas' is taught for all sections. Because of its unique energy absorbing properties once taught and in place it will absorb incoming collisionsjust like a trampoline.

Once everything is secured and fasten down the workers then commit themselves to the enterior layers. First the carbon fibre messhing panels are unfolded and attached to the entior via another set of clips and some heavey duty bolts giving the structure added protection and rigidity each panel is shaped to unfold into the space between each strut from the inside leaving a minimal gap between the strut and the panel.

Now the extrusion process takes place. Usually this is done by a second or third team. The first team constructs the Bucky Ball frame the second attaches the exerior canvas and the third - the extrusion team then pumps the extruded plastic foam behind the carbon fibre panels. Each Panels caveitys are filled entirely before the entire interior surface is covered in the expanding foam. Designed to work at extremely low temperatures the foam remains liquid for longer and yet is chesive enough not to break apart in zero g.

Ofcourse not forgeting one important stage and that is normally done during the attachment of the carbon fibre panels and is the attachment of pipes, cavitys, and electrical cabels.

Most of the heavey power capables are not placed in the shell of the Ball.

Care is taken to include the bare minimum of pipes and wiring in these walls as any cavity produced could potentialy weaken the wall and lead to a breach. All cavitys are checked and rechecked using its conductive sensitivity. The inspector who is also quite often the 'layer' will test each cavity with a probe during the extrusion process.

Ideally all cabling and pipes could be placed internally - it is an option for the construction company. There have as yet been no breaches due to the effects of cavity's weakening the surrounding strength of the strucure to the high pressures, g-forces, radiation and collisions. The company produced a test ball in order test all of these conditions after building the first Ball in order to prove that it was safe.

After the shell is finished the Ball is pressurised to correct atmos and the remaining workers enter the Ball and wear a minimal pressure suite with a safety mask, an escape tank is provided with room for all workers.

The rest of the construction continues with the assembly of the microwave transmitter - the largest machine part of the structure, position along the axis, which then requires cabling. The flooring is then attached in a rotory fashion around this machine which is activated on ijnstallation to provide power to the station as the work continues. The solar collectors together with the ion thrusters are attached and plugged into the cable ports along the surface of the Ball.

A coms link is made via a wifi to the self powered ion thrusters and their power source the solar panels. Each thruster is controlled by its own sensor before the stations control network is created. The workers have access to a switch which can turn of and isolate individual not working thrusters and a master switch for all thrusters.

If working first time the station finds gravity in 2 hours and 30 minutes depending on the size of the ball this time is for a 1.2 km ball.

The reason it takes so long is that it must take hundreds of minor adjustments in order to reach the correct velocity using the minimum of thrust.

The Gravity drive works using a Hive form of Artifical Intelligence or swarm behaviour in which each thruster operates independantly yet resulting in a collectively optimal performance using minimal power to acheive the correct and stable rotation of the Ball.

The flooring is layerd and has signposts to indicate which deck your on and the gravity level that is on that level at that position within the spehere. There is less decking towards the polar regions and this is usually used for storage of materials and equipment aswell as the emmergency escape tank. Food and water is also kept in this zero-g location.

Part 2 Building the Space port.

Part 3 Installing the Ecolife system.