Author's Note: When I switched over from trueSpace to 3DS MAX, I decided to rebuild the Vigilance. While I brought over a number of parts, I rebuilt others. As a result, the 3DS MAX version of the ship looks differently than the trueSpace version. I like this new version better. As always, this is a work of fiction.

Vigilance Assembly Sequence

In 2009, DARPA, the US Air Force, US Navy, and the National Aerospace Exploration Agency (NAXA) teamed up to begin the greatest space construction project in modern history, eclipsing even the Freedom International Space Station. Using a mothballed space station core module developed as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) as its foundation, Vigilance Air Force Station took shape in a 220-mile high, 28.5-degree orbital inclination. The Air Force assembled Vigilance during a four-year construction period.

Most of the modules were built from standardized 5-foot long, 15-foot diameter barrel sections and 15-foot diameter end caps with or without docking ports, the same hull sections mass-produced for ISS resupply freighters that eventually became Twenty-foot Equivalent Modules (TEM) and Forty-foot Equivalent Modules (FEM). The interior spaces contained whatever specialized equipment was necessary.

Several spacecraft participated in Vigilance's construction including the Appaloosa 131 and 131F (A131), Blue Gemini with Cargo Module (BGCM), the National Launch System (NLS), and Space Shuttles Discovery (Disc) and Enterprise (Ent).

Once completed, Vigilance was no longer classified as an Air Force Station. Instead, it became Vigilance (DSEV-1). DSEV stands for Deep Space Exploration Vessel.

Listed below are the modules that comprised Vigilance. Each description also lists the Vigilance Assembly Flight (VAF) and the spacecraft that delivered it.

Click on an image to view its full size.

Vigilance Core Module (VAF-1, A131)

Originally designed as a modest military space station for SDI research, Vanguard and its backup module, Vigilance, became a station without a mission and they languished in storage for years. NAXA stripped Vigilance for parts to complete Vanguard, renamed it Freedom, and launched it into orbit in 1998 to form the core of the International Space Station (ISS).

Astronauts perform a spacewalk to install components outside of the Vigilance core module. The heat radiators and solar arrays will be retracted once Vigilance receives its engine module.

Vigilance is comprised of three cylindrical sections, two of which are derived from standardized barrel sections and end caps. The forward section contains 16 International Station Payload Racks (ISPR) that enable Vigilance to be configured for a wide variety of missions ranging from a human-tended lab to a permanently staffed space station. Its end cap contains a single Low-Impact Module Berthing System (LIMBS) docking port, while four additional LIMBs adorn the front to accommodate additional modules. The middle section is a service tunnel housing the station's avionics, air supply, solar panels, heat radiator, fuel tanks, and communications antenna. The aft section consists of a single 10-foot long, 15-foot diameter barrel section with space for 8 ISPRs and is capped with a LIMBS port.

Vigilance provided power, communications, attitude control and altitude reboost during the early stages of construction. Once the ship gained its command, navigation, and habitat modules, the Core Module was reconfigured to become the ship's engine room; its ISPRs contained workstations and BB Tech machinery.

The UltraFlex solar panels are 24 feet in diameter when deployed and each generates 9.7 kW of electricity.

Node 1 (VAF-2, Ent)

Enterprise has captured the Vigilance Core Module and is getting ready to dock it with Node 1. Astronauts on Endeavour performed a similar maneuver with the Freedom Core Module and the Unity module 11 years ago during STS-88.

In addition to its six Androgynous Berthing Mechanisms (ABMs), Node 1 has space for four ISPRs. It is attached to Vigilance's forward port. The Node gained a pair of cupolas to provide an external view late in the vessel's construction, but it was launched into orbit with a Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) attached to facilitate Shuttle dockings.

Remote Manipulator System (VAF-3, Disc)

Based on the Canadarm 2, the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) is used to snag free-flying spacecraft near the station and position them on one of the module berthing ports as well as repositioning modules as needed. This feature was used quite often during the station's assembly.

Centrifuge Hub Module (VAF-4, Ent)

Situated on the aft end of the core module, the hub module has counter-rotating hubs with docking ports for the rotor arms in addition to its non-rotating hull. The spin sections are suspended by electromagnetic bearings for near friction-free rotation with space-made backup mechanical ball bearings. Low-viscosity ferrofluidic seals (liquid o-rings) keep air from leaking out. What little friction that is generated by the seals is compensated for by electric motors that keep the hubs from slowing down.

The module also contains the station's control moment gyroscopes (CMG) used to orient the station without using Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster fire. Combined with the electric motors that spin the hubs, the Hub Module would be quite noisy were it not for its active and passive noise cancellation.

The PMA brought up with Node 1 moved to the aft hub's nadir port for the next phase of construction.

Docking Node (VAF-5, Disc)

The docking node is mounted to the aft end of the Hub Module. Its ISPRs house 3D printers and other fabrication equipment, turning the module into a workshop. The module is larger than a typical node so that it can safely dock spacecraft.

Thermodynamic Fusion Engine (VAF-6, NLS)

An example of Black Box Technology (BB Tech), the module consists of three different sections: the front section is a fuel bunker containing liquid hydrogen and liquid helium. It also houses the main radiators. The mid-section is a donut-shaped inertial electrostatic confinement/quiet electric discharge, all regeneratively cooled (IEC/QED ARC) fusion reactor, a.k.a. fusion ring that burns hydrogen and boron to produce helium and electricity. The hydrogen comes from electrolyzed water, and the helium byproduct is liquefied and stored for various purposes. Finally, the aft section comprises Vigilance's main propulsion system.

The Timber Wolf thermodynamic engine was the first BB Tech item to be developed. Plasma from the fusion ring is sent to a thermodynamic combustion chamber where it superheats ordinary water to produce thrust. The engine works in a manner similar to an open-cycle gas-core nuclear thermal rocket but without the unpleasant radiation of a fission-based engine. Two such engines work in tandem to move Vigilance along, each with about 36,000 pounds of thrust. Fueled by water from the water tanks, the prototype thermodynamic engines produce 0.15g acceleration with an ISP of 3,000 seconds and a total delta-v of 11.62 mi/sec (18.7 km/sec). Timber Wolf is not tied to the fusion reactor, but when operating in standalone mode, it only has an ISP of 832 seconds when using a polywell reactor. Still, that's almost twice the performance of the best chemical rockets available today, and the propellant is easily stored.

This module also serves as the primary cooling structure for Vigilance. Each radiator array consists of six panels, each 10 feet long and 6 feet wide. There are 10 radiator arrays ringing the module.

The module has five ABM ports, two of which are taken up by the Aft Reaction Control System.

Logistics Modules (VAF-7, VAF-8, Ent & Disc)

These modules served as storage units for the spacecraft as well as docking ports for visiting freighters and tankers. They are located on the Docking Nodes's port and starboard docking ports.

Rotary Arms (VAF-9, VAF-10, Ent & Disc)

The 44-foot long rotary arms contain a crew transfer tunnel as well as computer controlled, water ballast tanks to cancel out any wobbling. Each arm has a motorized ladder to help crewmembers reach the Habitat Modules. After VAF-10, the PMA was moved back to Node 1's forward ABM.

Habitat Modules (VAF-11, VAF-12, , VAF-13, VAF-14, A131)

Each rotor arm is tipped with a Homestead Commercial Space Module from Wild Blue Industries. Based on NAXA's TransHab, Homestead has an inflatable section that offers a habitable area that is 22 feet in diameter and 31 feet tall. The Habitat Module has three decks, each 9 feet tall. Deck 1 is the lowest deck and furthest from the center of the hub. The deck layouts are as follows:

Port Habitat- Deck 1: Staterooms (3), Bathroom; Deck 2: Galley; Deck 3: Recreation/meeting/guest room.

Starboard Habitat- Deck 1: Staterooms (3), Bathroom; Deck 2: Gym; Deck 3: Sick Bay

Rockets at the tip of the habitat modules start and stop the centrifuge's rotation. The centrifuge rotates six times per minute to provide roughly 1g for the crew on deck 1. It does take some time to adjust to the spin rate, but most people adapt within a few days.

After the habitat modules arrived, two additional modified Aardvark "King Cab" Freighters provided everything needed to outfit them.

Computer Labs (VAF-15, VAF-16, Ent & Disc)

The port and starboard computer labs are attached to Vigilance's port and starboard LIMBS ports respectively. Each lab has 16 ISPRs filled with server blades that form a massively parallel processor supercomputer. As a joke, the portside computer lab has an ISPR painted and lighted to look like a HAL-9000. It even responds to voice commands with quotes from the movies with its namesake. The shuttle flights also brought up the computer lab radiators as well as the forward Reaction Control System Modules (RCSM).

Command Module (VAF-17, Ent)

Attached to Node 1's port-side ABM, this module serves as Vigilance's main control center. On a Navy ship it would be the equivalent to the combat information center and bridge. It has a large AESA antenna cluster on the side of the module, which combined with a sensor pallet attached to its aft end, gives Vigilance it electronic eyes.

Guidance, Navigation, Control Module (VAF-18, Disc)

Attached to Node ''s starboard ABM, the GNC module, dubbed the "Death Star", houses the station's astronavigation equipment. It has a large telescope for navigation and astronomy, a star tracker, and a navigation workstation from which the station's course can be plotted and adjusted. The entire module rotates around its ABM and its telescope may be pivoted too while maintaining internal atmospheric pressure thanks to its ferrofluid seals (liquid o-rings).

Radio Mast (VAF-19, BGCM)

This module is mounted to Vigilance's zenith port. It provides a communications link with Earth. Its dish is controlled by sensor instruments located in Node 1.

Airlock Module (VAF-20, Ent)

The last Space Transportation System flight brought up a Quest airlock based on the shuttle docking system. This module is mounted to the Core Module's Nadir port. It has an International Low Impact Docking System (ILIDS) port. VAF-18 also brought up Node 1's cupolas. After Enterprise departed, the PMA moved to its final home on the port-side logistics module's ABM.

Water Tanks (VAF-21, VAF-22, VAF-23, VAF-24, NLS)

Attached to the Hub Module's aft hubs, the water tanks hold Vigilance's main water supply. This water is used for a variety of purposes including coolant fluid for the radiators and as a source of oxygen for the crew. The modules spin along their long axis to counter the spin of the centrifuge and to make it easier to siphon off the water. The tanks also have six shuttle-derived fuel cells and associated LOX/LH2 tanks that serve as auxiliary power units (APU). Each APU can continually produce 10 kilowatts of dc electricity.

Reaction Control System Modules (VAF-25, VAF-26, BGCM)

The Reaction Control System gives Vigilance the ability to change its orientation in space as well as provide translation maneuvers such as orbital re-boost, a job typically performed by visiting Appaloosa Freighters during the early days of construction. Orienting the station using its RCS thrusters is done sparingly due to the fuel use; it's more economical to use the control moment gyroscopes located in the Docking Node. The RCS thrusters consist of mini-Timber Wolf engines.

Skip Field Emitter (VAF-27, VAF-28, A131)

The "warp drive" is another example of BB Tech found on the vessel. Though popularly named a warp drive, it is officially called a space-time skip drive because it skips across space-time like a stone skipping across a pond. It consists of the field emitter mounted on the front of Node 2, the main engine components located in the Vigilance Core Module, and a drive shaft that extends from stem to stern. The drive shaft and key components of the field projector had to be built at Mars after mining orichalicum from Tithonium Chasma. Several engine parts were brought up on VAF-28 and stored throughout the station.

While skip drives can theoretically propel a ship faster than light, the ship could only cruise about 0.15 Astronomical Units per 24-hour period (581,350 mph). At that speed, it took from about 2 days to a little over 2 and a half weeks to reach Mars depending upon where Earth and Mars were along their orbital tracks. By contrast, the best conventional tech could reach Mars in a month at its closest distance to Earth.

Auxiliary Vehicles (VAF-29, VAF-30, VAF-31, NLS)

With DSEV-1 structurally complete, the last three assembly flights brought up Vigilance's auxiliary spacecraft. VAF-29 and VAF-30 brought Galileo and Copernicus, the ship's Mars Excursion Vehicles (MEV) while VAF-31 lofted Cecil, the ship's Reusable Airless Body Ballistic Intermodal Transport (RABBIT).