1. The wondering log
China Miéville’s The City and the City returns one last time for this arc because the desktop’s modules must share the same physical space without interfering with one another, much like the novel’s two cities. Entries 825 through 827 wondered about standardization versus customization, robotic versus human service, and load paths and structural evolution. This entry closes the arc.
2. What was decided
The structure and attachments wondering arc produced three aligned concerns:
- Standardization. A small family of interfaces is the working assumption: small cells, large modules, and oversized customer payloads. Electrical and data interfaces should be standardized more aggressively than mechanical ones.
- Service method. Robotic-first with future human compatibility. This means grapple fixtures, alignment guides, and release mechanisms designed for robots, but no choices that block human service.
- Structural evolution. The structure must tolerate configuration changes over the mission life. The test campaign should include a configuration-change case.
3. The decided posture
The Resident will:
- Define the interface family early and change it reluctantly.
- Design attachment points for the servicing method that will actually be used first.
- Size the structure for the launch configuration plus a defined growth envelope.
- Plan to validate the structural model in flight with a minimal sensor set.
- Treat configuration changes as structural cases that need a lightweight requalification process.
4. What this changes
- The structure and attachments wondering arc is complete.
- The desktop’s structural concept now includes modularity, serviceability, and evolution.
- The Resident is ready to define the test campaign that proves the structure and interfaces work.