>>12014877Technically, you don't have to modify Dragon at all. You'd have to modify Dragon XL (which is basically a heavily modified F9/FH second stage). It has enough volume (internal) to support all those requirements and provide a livable space for the crew for a long-duration mission.
According to this chart (measurement is in feet):
https://www.spacelaunchreport.com/f9dim1s.jpg, the distance from the base of the 2nd stage fuel tank to the top is ~360 feet. The rocket and 2nd stage thereby are 12' 2" wide. Let's make it 12' for the diameter. So internal reference volume for the 2nd stage is: 40,715 cubic feet. Let's assume that of that 12 feet diameter, we will loose approximately 4 feet for all the insulation, protection, instrumentation, electrical and life support systems, you're left with 8 feet diameter of usable space. That's still 4 feet radius with 360 feet height of the cylinder, giving you a usable volume of: 18,095 cubic feet.
That's a lot of space. Pic related is Dragon V2. It was originally designed to ferry up to 7, some internal cargo, and the rest in the trunk attachment. It now ferries 4, with much more internal cargo volume + the rest in the trunk. The picture also gives you a size of the 2nd stage the black interstage above the first stage is where the engine is, so we can discard that. But up to the trunk from the engine bell to the trunk area, is a considerable amount of space. You could easily create a livable area for a crew of 4-6 plus all the cargo and life support and other systems in it. Dragon V2 would be the central controller, but the external of the 2nd stage modified Dragon XL would house the rest. The capsule would connect with the XL version and they would experience a synergy.
I know NASA likes having all in one systems, but those fuckers need to start looking at space more objectively and with a modular focus.
