[meteorite-list] Space Bigelow

From: Jerry <grf2_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:09:27 -0400
Message-ID: <67C5122B10F4464CB3318C02BC037F13_at_Notebook>

Now we're talking.
Jerry Flaherty
----- Original Message -----
From: "Darren Garrison" <cynapse at charter.net>
To: <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 10:39 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Space Bigelow


http://www.space.com/news/070814_bigelow_sundancer.html

Bigelow Aerospace Fast-Tracks Manned Spacecraft
By SPACE.com Staff

posted: 14 August 2007
10:35 am ET

Following the successful launch and deployment of two inflatable space
modules,
on Monday the owner and founder of Bigelow Aerospace announced plans to move
ahead with the launch of its first human habitable spacecraft, the
Sundancer.


The decision to fast-track Sundancer was made in part to rising launch costs
as
well as the ability to test some systems on the ground, company CEO Robert
Bigelow said in a press statement.


"As anyone associated with the aerospace industry is aware, global launch
costs
have been rising rapidly over the course of the past few years," Bigelow is
quoted as saying. "These price hikes have been most acute in Russia due to a
number of factors including inflation, previous artificially low launch
costs
and the falling value of the U.S. dollar."


The announcement follows the success earlier this year of the launch of
Genesis
2, the second inflatable module launched by Bigelow Aerospace as a prototype
for
future commercial space stations in Earth orbit. The U.S. firm launched its
first spacecraft, Genesis 1, in July 2006, which remains operational today.


Bigelow Aerospace had planned to take a stepping-stone approach to the
development of its space modules. Next in line after Genesis 2 was to be the
larger Galaxy module scheduled to launch in the latter part of 2008.


But the "dramatic rise in launch costs has forced us to rethink our strategy
with Galaxy," Bigelow said. "Due to the fact that a high percentage of the
systems Galaxy was meant to test can be effectively validated on a
terrestrial
basis, the technical value of launching the spacecraft - particularly after
the
successful launch of both Genesis 1 and 2 - is somewhat marginal."


The Sundancer module will provide 180 cubic meters of habitable space and
will
come fully equipped with life-support systems, attitude control and on-orbit
maneuverability, as well as reboost and deorbit capability. This larger
module -
sporting a trio of windows - could support a three-person crew and be on
orbit
in the second half of 2010, Bigelow told Space News in March of this year.


"We still intend to construct and test the Galaxy spacecraft and/or various
parts of it in order to gain familiarity and experience with critical
subsystems," Bigelow said in the release. "However, by eliminating the
launch of
Galaxy, we believe that [Bigelow Aerospace] can move more expeditiously to
our
next step by focusing exclusively on the challenging and exciting task
presented
by the Sundancer program."


"With this decision made, the future of entrepreneurial, private
sector-driven
space habitats and complexes could be arriving much earlier than any of us
had
previously anticipated," Bigelow said

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Received on Fri 24 Aug 2007 09:09:27 PM PDT