Posted on 06/29/2007 8:32:37 AM PDT by saganite
Private space station company Bigelow Aerospace, based in North Las Vegas, Nevada, successfully launched its Genesis 2 prototype space station from a Russian Dnepr rocket on Thursday, June 28, 2007, at 11:02 a.m. EDT (15:02 GMT).
The launch occurred at Yasny Launch Base, a Russian strategic missile facility. The Dnepr booster rocket is a converted ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile), which launches artificial satellites into orbit. Russian-Ukrainian launch service provider ISC Kosmotras coordinates the launches of Dnepr rockets, the first of which occurred on April 21, 1999 when it successfully inserted an UoSAT-12 satellite into orbit.
The Genesis spacecraft is an inflatable module that carries 22 cameras, sensors, and avionics to monitor and control the spacecraft. It is 15 feet (4.4 meters) in length and 5.25 feet (1.6 meters) in diameter but expands to about twice that diameter once in orbit about the Earth. It has an internal volume of 406 cubic feet (11.5 cubic meters). Its eight solar arrays extend out to 8 feet (2.5 meters).
NASA developed the expandable modules being used by Bigelow under its cancelled Transhab program. After elimination of the program, Bigelow Aerospace was granted the sole rights to the expandable module technology.
The Genesis series of space stations are expandable modules that will be sent into Earth orbit with the intent to provide commercial space habitats for private companies and national space agencies.
The inflatable modules are expected to be more durable and safer than rigid modules because the 1-foot outer skin is made of several layers of a material that is twice as strong as Kevlar®. Inner layers are made of other protective materials that add to the safety of the walls. The inflatable walls of the Bigelow space station is expected to be able to withstand micrometeorite and space debris impacts better than rigid walls, say of the International Space Station.
The successor to the Genesis-class module is called Galaxy. It is a full-scale expandable module—about three times larger than Genesis.
The third-generation spacecraft, called Sundancer, will house a three-person crew in a livable volume of 6,356 cubic feet (180 cubic meters). Later, in the 2011-2012 timeframe, Bigelow Aerospace hopes to add a BA-330 module to Sundancer, to add another 11,653 cubic feet (330 cubic meters) to the living volume.
Robert Bigelow is the founder and president of Bigelow Aerospace. Bigelow expects his modules will be used for industrial and scientific purposes, but also for space tourism.
in a stock blog in 2000 I posted ole Bigelow was gonna do this and got my teeth kicked in
He’s having an even bigger impact on privatizing space that Rutan. This launch was supposed to happen in Jan I think and has been repeatedly delayed by the Russians to work on their rocket. They had a few failures. Better late than never!
I interviewed for a job with them when the company started, and met Bob Bigelow. I had no doubt in my mind he would do exactly what he wanted. He has always done exactly what he wanted, and always has the cash to support it.
know the rest of the plan ? And with Whom ? It’s a biggie
due diligence is a wonderful thang
God bless ‘im. This is the kind of stuff Americans are supposed to be doing.
Wanna clue us in? I’ve read there’s military potential in these modules so DOD may have a stake. I’ve also read Bigelow has plans to park a station at L1 and is planning for using these modules on the moon. Renting them out to businesses that have needs for research in space also. Anything else? Besides the hotel I mean?
I lost track of his business plan, but I recall he expects to build a space station and possibly a lunar cycler a la Buzz Aldrin’s ideas. Moon bases, as well, IIRC?
What Rutan is doing is peanuts compared to Bigelow/SpaceX/Kistler/SpaceDev et al. As much as I love the guy for his innovation and ideas, I think he’s bitten off a little more than he can chew with the plans to go orbital. I may eat those words, but his “shuttlecock” reentry is only good (with those materials) for sub-orbital velocities. Anything in the region of orbital and things start to melt, like fiberglass...
If you look for photos you can see where, on the second X-Prize attempt, the fiberglass was burnt and possibly completely removed on the nose cone in front of the skid. They had different wax stripes on there to tell them the temperature range they were seeing. Don’t remember seeing any results, but “reentry” heating was enough to at least burn the paint off, and into the fiberglass.
The smart money is on Bigelow, and SpaceX, with Kistler having an outside shot. SpaceDev has just signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA as well, although they won’t be getting any funding.
I was under the impression that Kistler was going to be Bigelow’s future launch partner. I’m sure he’s flexible though. He really had a head start on the rest of the privatizers since he bought his technology pretty much off the shelf from NASA and continued to develop it instead of starting from scratch, that and he’s not interested in lift like everyone else so less competition. As for ole Burt, I won’t ever count him out of anything.
one Bigelow has partnered with one Barron Hilton and those big tubes will be assembled in the general shape of a circle with four verticle columns and the bottom will be another circle.........working name ? ORBIT HILTON
it’s real and will happen........now a teaser..........
who would be 1st offered and prefered hire ????
As on the other thread: great hobby.
PocoGraphite in Decatur Tx has the panel solution
Sorry, no mining planned here.
That, too, but no outside investment. He is welcome to his hobby.
Okay, right now Bigelow has NO manned launch partner. That’s the whole reason for America’s Space Prize. He does, however, have an agreement with SpaceX to launch the next module or the BA330, not sure exactly which...but I think it’s the next. But since then the SpaceX launch schedule has changed. They’re expecting their first Faclon 9 launch late next year, I’ll be looking forward to seeing a successful first operational launch of Falcon 1. We’ll see. Dragon is slated to fly in 2009 for their COTS Phase 1 competition.
Kistler, like I said, has not flown any hardware yet that we know of. They’re an outside shot at best, and they’ve gotten $200 million from NASA to build it. There is some movement in that they’re doing final assembly at NASA Michaud but other than that they’ve been rather mum.
As for Rutan, it would be just like him to pull something out about six months before the deadline (for example America’s Space Prize).
Mr. B is a smart cookie, he will find a way to win.
Bigelow has been in talks with the group building the Atlas 5 to produce a man rated version of that rocket. The Russians seem to be his most reliable partner right now. I don’t believe any of the private rocket builders are near commercial vialbility just yet. Rutan made a remark a while back that he had to solve 2 problems to build an orbital vehicle and he had already solved one of those problems. Reentry is,I’m sure, the major obstacle for him and I doubt he’s solved that one yet but I wouldn’t put it past him.
LOL! Hobby? Hardly. Since you make such a big deal about mining you should see this for what it is, a way to put men into habitats where they can do the mining you prize. He’ll have plenty of outside investors since he’s batting a thousand so far and even if he doesn’t he’s a multi billionaire. He can fund the development himself.
I would hazard a guess about Rutan’s second problem being having enough specific impulse to make orbit without having a GIGANTIC vehicle. He may have solved the reentry issue.
I forgot about the talks with USA. The problem being having a capsule to fly on a man-rated Atlas 5. I think that’s his backup plan though. Ideally, Musk comes through with F9 and Dragon and all is well.
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