Posted on 04/06/2011 5:01:06 PM PDT by jmcenanly
Bigelow Aerospace has designed a larger, heavier, and more capable expandable space station module, or interplanetary human transport module The BA 2100 would have a 2100 cubic meter volume and the BA 330 has a 330 cubic meter volume. The International space station has an internal volume of 1,000 cubic meters.
The weight of the module could be as low as 70 tonnes (150,000 lb) but for the BA-2100 would more likely be "in the range of 100 metric tonnes", and is substantially larger than the BA 330, with the docking ends of the module alone estimated at approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) in diameter. The concept model showed the docking ports at both ends. The BA-2100 would require the use of a super-heavy-lift launch vehicle–and would require an 8-meter fairing for launch–a launch vehicle that does not currently exist.
The Spacex Falcon Heavy will be able to launch 50-60 tons then Bigelow could design a BA 1500 that would fit that launch capacity.
(Excerpt) Read more at nextbigfuture.com ...
Spacex Falcon X Heavy or Falcon XX. The Falcon Heavy only lifts 38,000 kilos (37 long tons), while the other two do 125,000 kilos and 140,000 kilos respectively.
Is there a real benefit to making them large in diameter?
It decreases the surface area as a function of volume. This would allow for less heat loss . It is also the difference between living in a house and living on a train, and the house is cheaper.
That makes sense (about surface area) but that would also have other negative effects. More surface area to protect against exterior objects and more stresses. Also in the event of loss of pressure you have no place to go.
> The Falcon Heavy only lifts 38,000 kilos (37 long tons)
Bzzzt. Incorrect. The Falcon Heavy was originally expected to launch 38MT. However, due to the improved Merlin engines and the cross-feed in the boosters, the actual Falcon Heavy is now spec’ed to deliver 53MT to LEO.
Is this privately funded, with the intention of moving space travel towards the private sector?
Because I’ve always thought private corporations could do the job better and less expensively.
Found my own answer...
Unfortunately, primarily due to lack of competition, costs have actually escalated–increasing by over 30% for FY 2012 alone. The total cost of the current program now exceeds $2.7B, with over $1B paid to a single provider just to sustain the program. That is one billion dollars per year, whether they launch or not.
Falcon Heavy with more than twice the payload but less than one third the cost of a Delta IV Heavy, will provide much needed relief to government and commercial budgets. This year, even as the Department of Defense budget was cut, the EELV launch program, which includes the Delta IV, still saw a thirty percent increase.
The 2012 Air Force budget includes $1.74B for four launches, an average of $435M per launch. With Falcon Heavy priced at $80-125M per launch SpaceX has the potential to provide the US government significant value. In addition, the medium-lift Falcon 9 could support a number of medium-lift Air Force launches at only $50-60M per launch, if SpaceX were allowed to compete for this business.
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