Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Bigelow Inflatable Oked for ISS

Those of you that have been around for awhile know that I have been talking about Bigelow Aerospace and their experimentation with inflatable space modules.  Bigelow has launched a couple of their modules that have proved extremely successful.  

Now Bigelow Aerospace has petitioned NASA to build and attach a module to the ISS.   The unit(s) are called Bigelow Expandable Activity Modules and their initial use would be a technology demonstration unit.   What makes Bigelow's modules so unique is they are inflatable.  The units are held rigid by internal air pressure.  Bigelow's two previous test units proved uniquely durable, performing as expected in earlier test.  The success of these test are what NASA based its decision on. 

It is not clear yet if the unit would be for on board astronauts to add to their living space or for use by Bigelow as space of tourists.   Bigelow has stated in the past that they are planing  to build a low Earth orbit "hotel" to which they would shuttle tourists to and from.

8 comments:

Dave Tackett said...

Although it's not really flashy, this technology could be a rather significant step in lowering the the cost of space stations and possibly even a lunar colony in the future.

I just looked at their website and it seems that the space tourism is a different project "Not only is the company talking to NASA about modules for the ISS but they have their sights on their own space station comprised of inflatable modules"

Quite cool!

Beam Me Up said...

Dave
I took the tourist comment right from the original document. I honestly think that Bigelow wants to put a tourist module on the ISS. I remember the other articles when they were testing their launch system. They made it clear that they were aiming towards a separate module of their own design.

Dave Tackett said...

Paul
I figured that. You (and kallamis and Ron) always do a very good job of summarizing your sources! I just wonder if they would be allowed to use the ISS for space tourism - it seems like there would be too much red tape.

kallamis said...

I was wondering Dave, about maybe this idea. And I think it would be a really good idea.
Go ahead and build this station, but connect it to the ISS. Then the Astronauts could come over to the civilian side when they had time to, and actually talk to people there. But keep the ISS for the true astronauts only.
As much as I want in that sucker, lets be honest. If there's a big red button that says do not push, well, lets just say I shouldn't be allowed in that room. And I'm not the only one.
Hell, I'm not the only one on this site even.

Dave Tackett said...

Kallamis

Sounds like a quite good idea to me, but would NASA and Russia go for it?

kallamis said...

They might. Provided the door between the two could be opened from only one side, their side.
I think that would have to be SOP there.
My only concern would be that there would have to be a guard at every air lock, or one serious system to open it that would take awhile.
The reason I say this is because of some of the anti-tech people we are getting now, and those against us doing anything in space.
Yeah I know, paranoid. But better paranoid than space junk in my book. Those people worry me here what with a few things i found the other day online, so I would be worried about them taking a vacation and martyring themselves against science and space. I know a guy down town that said he would gladly give his life if it meant getting man out of space where his deity doesn't want us. I think my concerns are real.
Yeah, I know. Real fun town I live in isn't it. One of these days they will burn me at the stake I am sure.

Beam Me Up said...

FINALLY someone acknowledges the 800lb gorilla in the room! The ISS is NO place for Civs. Let them have their zero g beds and view-port and somewhere where they can't hurt anyone. Thank YOU Kallamis!

Beam Me Up said...

I thought the Russians already had! Now I am confused, but I thought that it was like 20 large with 5 if you wanted to eva....Didnt that happen...?