Space Station Top - Stanford Torus

Spin this top inspired by the Stanford Torus and think about all the tiny people inside enjoying the artificial gravity you have just created for them.

If you like space, dream of reaching towards the stars and hope one day there will be actual colonies in space, let this symbol remind you constantly of what you are aiming for.

The Stanford Torus was conceptualized in the 70's as an alternative to other space colony shapes, namely spheres, cylinders and a dumbbells. To accommodate the resolution of the stainless-steel 3D printers while keeping the size consistent with a table-top toy, and to achieve a sturdy structure which can be handled as a top, I've departed from the original proportions and thickened the connectors and central cylinder (a previous, more detailed version turned out to be unprintable). Other liberties were taken purely for aesthetic effect, which is necessitated since no seriously-thought designs of Stanford Toruses have been made public.