Space factory

The space factory is an orbiting production house. It utilizes vacuum & micro-gravity. It will exist from the 2030's or 2050's.

Spacecraft design
This station is very complicated. The factory itself is larger than the ISS. There are multiple trusses that support the modules and solar panels. The solar panels are large, so the generate the large amount of power needed. There are several storage and production modules along the center. Few people are needed to man this station. There are docking ports for "spacetrucks"- a new generation of shuttles-that connect to the storage modules.

Productions
The idea behind a factory in orbit is to take advantages of space-microgravity and vacuum. A vacuum can be produced on earth, but it is not as 'pure' as the one in space. Two things have been known to be produced on this factory:"foamed-metal and crystals. Foamed-metal is incredibly strong, but light, due to the microgravity. Crystal growth is faster, larger, and produces more consistent structures. They will be used in a wide variety of industries, from medical to computer.