{"id":{"repo_id":"houston","oai_identifier":"oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/20847"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/houston/oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/20847","repository":{"repo_id":"houston","name":"University of Houston","base_url":"https://uh-ir.tdl.org/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"A Network Communications Strategy for Planetary Habitats","abstract":"The space industry is beginning to consider the design and construction of communication network infrastructures on planets beyond Earth. In approaching these design challenges, network managers should be involved in the architectural process to understand how such networks will be designed both logically and physically. The implementation of future spaceborne information technology (IT) networks will have several limitations not found on Earth or the International Space Station (ISS). Terrestrial networking afterthoughts have become key design constraints in planetary habitats. This thesis develops and evaluates a method for integrating communications infrastructure within the architectural design of planetary habitats. To lay the groundwork and baseline for required data and systems in a planetary habitat, examples will be given from both terrestrial and existing space computer networks. Existing and closest analogues will be considered, with considerations to the era in which they were designed. The consideration of Commercial-off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware will be discussed while exploring the benefits and downsides compared to specialty-built space hardware. Topics such as physical space allocation, mass, ease of use (installation, maintenance, and replacement) to the crewmember will also be considered. By treating the network as a core utility rather than an afterthought, this thesis establishes a foundational framework for integrating communications infrastructure that best supports crewed missions into the broader habitat design process. In doing so, this thesis intends to harmonize the disciplines of space architecture, network architecture, and systems design.","abstract_html":"The space industry is beginning to consider the design and construction of communication network infrastructures on planets beyond Earth. In approaching these design challenges, network managers should be involved in the architectural process to understand how such networks will be designed both logically and physically. The implementation of future spaceborne information technology (IT) networks will have several limitations not found on Earth or the International Space Station (ISS). Terrestrial networking afterthoughts have become key design constraints in planetary habitats. This thesis develops and evaluates a method for integrating communications infrastructure within the architectural design of planetary habitats. To lay the groundwork and baseline for required data and systems in a planetary habitat, examples will be given from both terrestrial and existing space computer networks. Existing and closest analogues will be considered, with considerations to the era in which they were designed. The consideration of Commercial-off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware will be discussed while exploring the benefits and downsides compared to specialty-built space hardware. Topics such as physical space allocation, mass, ease of use (installation, maintenance, and replacement) to the crewmember will also be considered. By treating the network as a core utility rather than an afterthought, this thesis establishes a foundational framework for integrating communications infrastructure that best supports crewed missions into the broader habitat design process. In doing so, this thesis intends to harmonize the disciplines of space architecture, network architecture, and systems design.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Dow, Joshua Evan 1992-"],"institution":"University of Houston","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Space Architecture","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Bannova, Olga"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Toups, Larry","Bell, Larry","Lent, Ricardo"],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12","date_published":"2025-12","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:32:12Z","subjects":["Systems Administration","Network Architecture","Space Architecture","DTN","Delay/Disruption-Tolerant Networks"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10657/20847","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Bannova, Olga"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Toups, Larry","Bell, Larry","Lent, Ricardo"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Dow, Joshua Evan 1992-"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-02-05T18:14:35Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-12"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Space Architecture"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Houston"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Systems Administration","Network Architecture","Space Architecture","DTN","Delay/Disruption-Tolerant Networks"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10657/20847"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The space industry is beginning to consider the design and construction of communication network infrastructures on planets beyond Earth. 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The consideration of Commercial-off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware will be discussed while exploring the benefits and downsides compared to specialty-built space hardware. Topics such as physical space allocation, mass, ease of use (installation, maintenance, and replacement) to the crewmember will also be considered. By treating the network as a core utility rather than an afterthought, this thesis establishes a foundational framework for integrating communications infrastructure that best supports crewed missions into the broader habitat design process. In doing so, this thesis intends to harmonize the disciplines of space architecture, network architecture, and systems design."]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Network Communications Strategy for Planetary Habitats"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Bannova, Olga"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Toups, Larry","Bell, Larry","Lent, Ricardo"],"dc:creator":["Dow, Joshua Evan 1992-"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-02-05T18:14:35Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-12"],"dc:description.abstract":["The space industry is beginning to consider the design and construction of communication network infrastructures on planets beyond Earth. In approaching these design challenges, network managers should be involved in the architectural process to understand how such networks will be designed both logically and physically. The implementation of future spaceborne information technology (IT) networks will have several limitations not found on Earth or the International Space Station (ISS). Terrestrial networking afterthoughts have become key design constraints in planetary habitats. This thesis develops and evaluates a method for integrating communications infrastructure within the architectural design of planetary habitats. To lay the groundwork and baseline for required data and systems in a planetary habitat, examples will be given from both terrestrial and existing space computer networks. Existing and closest analogues will be considered, with considerations to the era in which they were designed. The consideration of Commercial-off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware will be discussed while exploring the benefits and downsides compared to specialty-built space hardware. 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