Posted on 01/12/2013 8:52:10 PM PST by Vince Ferrer
WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded a $17.8 million contract to Bigelow Aerospace to provide a new addition to the International Space Station. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module will demonstrate the benefits of this space habitat technology for future exploration and commercial space endeavors.
"The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that enables important discoveries that benefit humanity and vastly increase understanding of how humans can live and work in space for long periods," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. "This partnership agreement for the use of expandable habitats represents a step forward in cutting-edge technology that can allow humans to thrive in space safely and affordably, and heralds important progress in U.S. commercial space innovation."
Garver and Bigelow Aerospace Founder and President Robert Bigelow will discuss the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module program at a media availability at 1:30 p.m. EST (10:30 a.m. PST) Wednesday, Jan. 16, at Bigelow Aerospace facilities located at 1899 W. Brooks Ave. in North Las Vegas.
To attend, media representatives must contact Mike Gold at mgold@bigelowaerospace.com by 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. PST) Jan. 15.
Call me crazy, but before we work on expanding the space station, can build a way to put a man in space?
This seems like someone who can’t get it together enough to buy a car, planning their vacation home.
Even though the Space Shuttles were obsolete 1980s technology, why didn't anyone consider using one of them as a permanent expansion to the Space Station?
Couldn't one of them have a final mission to the space station with a crew of 2 and loaded with cargo, and then leave it there permanently attached?
Let the crew come back on a future Russian ship?
Would this have been possible? Is it still possible?
-PJ
And also, i don’t see how this will help the self-esteem of moslems.
It doesn’t seem practical to me. The shuttle was a great cargo ship, but would seem to offer too much surface area for two little lab space.
That’s too much of two times four the amount of alcohol for me.
Can we send Zero and the Vice-Retard into orbit ?
No to the still possible thing. They are lawn ornaments now.
Would it have been possible?
No. The shuttle was a logistics and touch slut. It ate expendables like crazy and was never designed for long-term parking in space. They leak, for one thing. Power required LOX and liquid hydrogen. No solar panels on the shuttle.
Once again a congressional comittee designed horse turned into a white elephant. 1500 mile cross range? Are you serious? And even the AF dropped the requirement, but there it stayed in the design.
/johnny
-PJ
His answer was essentially, if I have to support it, russian, if the americans will support it with tons of logistics? theirs.
Russian stuff breaks. In space. They generally come home.
Our stuff looks like it might break? Abort the mission.
The main life support module on the ISS is Ruski.
Space is hard. The Shuttle was designed to be a truck to the corner orbital store and back.
Meh... I could go on. I will offer a toast to Sergi Korolev before I quit gritching.
And yes, I'm a Texan. Respecting ruski tech.
/johnny
i’d rather send them to uranus. just somehow seems more appropriate.
The private company that has already sent an unmanned payload of cargo to the Space Station is readying the ship for manned missions.
Until there is some sort of breakthrough in propulsion, this is impractical for Earth operation.
Look at the Saturn IB. 90 percent of it was thrown away to get 10 percent into orbit, then you were out of fuel and rocket power.
Now imagine you have to also bring along the entire craft into orbit (SSTO, Single Stage To Orbit,) and also bring to orbit enough fuel to land with.
Impossible with today's technology. The Delta Clipper was also doomed from the start because of this same flaw.
Any SSTO to be successful with today's propulsion technology will most likely be a VentureStar like proposal, adding air breathing engines for part of the ascent (to reduce the on board oxidizer requirements,) and a shuttle like aerodynamic landing.
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