Sky-high money
Private companies are taking away from the state space agencies initiative in the exploration of extraterrestrial space. In the coming years, the space tourism industry will begin to generate multi-million dollar revenues.
The commercial flair of the British businessman Richard Branson is not jealous unless the Pope. But even a person whose thoughts should be the most disinterested is Branson’s ability to see a distant perspective is certainly genuinely admired.
Branson made a multi-billion dollar fortune, operating in several business areas. In the 1970s, he created the Virgin Records recording studio, which was engaged in publishing representatives of an alternative rock movement. In particular, it was Branson who opened the world to Mike Oldfield by publishing his debut album Tubular Bells in 1973. Later, Branson created his own airline Virgin Atlantic, today one of the largest in the world. Tens of millions of subscribers from different regions of the planet are connected to the Virgin Mobile mobile operator. The Virgin group also includes companies in the banking and transportation sectors.
However, there is no doubt that in a couple of decades, Branson’s biography somewhere on Wikipedia will begin with the words “pioneer of space tourism” or “founder of the world's first commercially successful space company.”
When in 2004, Branson announced the creation of the company Virgin Galactic, the main profile of which was to be space tourism, almost no one took it seriously. The term “space tourism” itself was then associated exclusively with the delivery of a couple of rich people who had fallen off tens of millions of dollars to the International Space Station.
Branson said that he would create his own ship, capable of taking passengers into orbit for much less money. He promised that in less than ten years, the company would serve the first customers.
In 2006, the company tested its first ship,
which received the simple name SpaceShipOne, was later created a second prototype, SpaceShipTwo. At the end of March this year, the Enterprise shipboard successfully passed the tests. Branson suggests that the first tourists will be able to go on it beyond the limits of the earth's atmosphere already in 2011. On the first commercial flights miracle ship tickets can be bought today. At first glance, they are expensive - about $ 200 thousand. However, this is significantly less than the cost of the flight to the ISS.
Branson does not doubt the commercial success of his business. Partly the validity of his optimism confirms the activity of competitors. In addition to Virgin Galactic, the American company Bigelow Aerospace, owned by hotel magnate Robert Bigelow, plans to make money on the desire of wealthy citizens to diversify their leisure time. Branson's competitors have chosen a different path of space exploration - instead of a ship, they are building an orbital station.
It is difficult to explain the choice of a name by other motives, besides the desire to
associations with the classics. Millions of Americans and Europeans grew up on Star Trek, the protagonists of which were the crew of the starship Enterprise.
New Enterprise, of course, is significantly different from its screen progenitor. He does not know how to overcome the speed of light and travel between star systems. This is a suborbital ship - its purpose is only to bring passengers into a zone of weightlessness.
The March tests over the Mojave Desert in California showed that Enterprise is quite capable of doing its job. During the three-hour flight of Enterprise and its carrier aircraft, no technical problems were identified. True, the ship did not go into space. The tests were limited to flying at the height of conventional jet liners. But, according to Branson, test space flights will begin later this year.
Thus, it can be stated that the WhiteKnight aircraft was the first to be tested in March. By design, it looks like a catamaran, its two cabins and engines are united by one wing. Enterprise is attached between the cabs.
According to the plan, developed in Virgin Galactic, the carrier aircraft should rise to an altitude of 35 km, where the separation of Enterprise will occur. It will turn on its own engines, with the help of which it will be able to rise to an altitude of 110 km, allowing tourists a few minutes to enjoy weightlessness and a fantastic view of the planet Earth. The cabin has six passenger seats, trim is distinguished by the luxury characteristic of luxury private jets.
Returning back will be much easier to start. Enterprise can descend from orbit
and land at the airport like a normal plane. The entire flight takes a total of several hours.
Nevertheless, it will be an unforgettable few hours, Branson is convinced. His opinion is shared by many people. Rich people. Virgin Galactic set the price for one ticket at the level of $ 200 thousand. At the moment, about 300 tickets have been sold for a total of $ 45 million.
Among those who have expressed a desire to get on the first flights Enterprise - many celebrities, such as Hollywood stars John Travolta and Brad Pitt, pop star Robbie Williams. The legendary physicist Stephen Hawking dreams of flying in zero gravity.
Robert Bigelow, owner of an American hotel chain
Budget Suites of America, a person certainly not as famous as Branson. However, he can boast of an incredible commercial flair. The topic of space tourism Bigelow was addressed back in 1998, when space tourism was absolute fiction - the Mir station was still in orbit, and there were three years left before the launch of the ISS.
Successfully doing the hotel business on the surface of the planet, Bigelow quite reasonably decided that he could succeed in expanding the scope of activities beyond the atmosphere. Over the past 12 years, the businessman has invested more than $ 180 million in the company Bigelow Aerospace, most of which went to the development of a project for an orbital station capable of becoming the first extraterrestrial hotel.
Bigelow started the project from scratch. The basis was taken by the development of NASA called TransHab, which was an inflatable module that was launched into space in a deflated state and then expanded in orbit to a predetermined size. Initially, NASA planned to put a residential module into orbit, in an inflated form with a diameter greater than 8 m. This is a huge design - for comparison, the largest module of the ISS today is only 4.5 m in diameter. However, in the late 1990s, due to insufficient funding, NASA curtailed the work on the project. Initiative picked Bigelow.
The businessman acquired from NASA a license for the technology of creating inflatable structures in orbit and hired a team of engineers to bring it to mind. One of the key innovations was the use of the inflatable design of Vectran - a material that is twice as strong as Kevlar.
In July 2006, the experimental module Genesis I was put into orbit and safely unfolded at a given height. A year later, the second module, Genesis II, was successfully launched into orbit.
This year, the company announced the imminent testing of the next prototype of the future station. A module with a length of more than 8 and a diameter of more than 6 m was called the Sundancer. After the module has been successfully tested, the next stage of work will be to equip it with two additional sections. The first will be equipped with engines that will allow the station to adjust its orbital movement, and the second will help the space hotel to dock with the ISS.
However, this design will be only a prototype. If successful, Bigelow Aerospace plans to test the real masterpiece of engineering - the manned vehicle BA 330. Its length will be 14 m, diameter - 6.7 m. Six people will quietly fit inside, for a comfortable stay in orbit, all amenities are provided, including beds, simulators , showers, kitchen and large stocks of products.
This will be a real space hotel, which all these years Bigelow dreamed of. The launch of BA 330 is scheduled for 2014-2015. Over time, several such modules docked to each other will make up a real orbital hotel complex. And it will be the most expensive hotel on the planet. One day of being in orbit will cost $ 1 million. However, this is preliminary information, perhaps with time Bigelow Aerospace will moderate its appetites. Maybe,
on the contrary, prices will rise.
The fact is that Bigelow Aerospace does not have its own transport for delivering tourists to orbit. A few years ago, the company even announced a competition to develop a shuttle capable of bringing tourists into orbit, but even a prize fund of $ 50 million did not help attract at least one sensible project. NASA will not be able to act as a cab driver, since the agency itself will soon lose its shuttles - their flights will be curtailed at the end of this year - as well as funding that would allow developing new-generation ships. At the initiative of President Barack Obama, the preparation of space transport will be given to private companies. However, it is obvious that this is a remote perspective.
In the coming years, NASA will use the services of the Russian Union ships to deliver astronauts and cargo to the ISS. It is not excluded that Bigelow Aerospace will also have to carry its guests into orbit on the Russian “taxi”.
In addition to the hotel business, Bigelow plans other types of commercial gains from the engineering developments of his company. Inflatable orbital modules may be of interest to various public or private companies conducting research in orbit.
')
Some links on the topic:
Virgin Galactic Animation on Traveling on SpaceShipTwo
50 sec. SpaceShipTwo presentations
Virgin Galatic official website
Virgin Galactics Cute Flickr Photo
Scaled Composites LLC (USA) is a designer of SpaceShipTwo. Since 1982, it has been manufacturing experimental aircraft.
2.5 min video from NewScientist about Bigelow module
Interview of Robert Bigelow with the correspondent of Space News (transl.)
Alexey Bondarev, the penultimate issue of the journal Correspondent
The commercial flair of the British businessman Richard Branson is not jealous unless the Pope. But even a person whose thoughts should be the most disinterested is Branson’s ability to see a distant perspective is certainly genuinely admired.
Branson made a multi-billion dollar fortune, operating in several business areas. In the 1970s, he created the Virgin Records recording studio, which was engaged in publishing representatives of an alternative rock movement. In particular, it was Branson who opened the world to Mike Oldfield by publishing his debut album Tubular Bells in 1973. Later, Branson created his own airline Virgin Atlantic, today one of the largest in the world. Tens of millions of subscribers from different regions of the planet are connected to the Virgin Mobile mobile operator. The Virgin group also includes companies in the banking and transportation sectors.
However, there is no doubt that in a couple of decades, Branson’s biography somewhere on Wikipedia will begin with the words “pioneer of space tourism” or “founder of the world's first commercially successful space company.”
When in 2004, Branson announced the creation of the company Virgin Galactic, the main profile of which was to be space tourism, almost no one took it seriously. The term “space tourism” itself was then associated exclusively with the delivery of a couple of rich people who had fallen off tens of millions of dollars to the International Space Station.
Branson said that he would create his own ship, capable of taking passengers into orbit for much less money. He promised that in less than ten years, the company would serve the first customers.
In 2006, the company tested its first ship,
which received the simple name SpaceShipOne, was later created a second prototype, SpaceShipTwo. At the end of March this year, the Enterprise shipboard successfully passed the tests. Branson suggests that the first tourists will be able to go on it beyond the limits of the earth's atmosphere already in 2011. On the first commercial flights miracle ship tickets can be bought today. At first glance, they are expensive - about $ 200 thousand. However, this is significantly less than the cost of the flight to the ISS.Branson does not doubt the commercial success of his business. Partly the validity of his optimism confirms the activity of competitors. In addition to Virgin Galactic, the American company Bigelow Aerospace, owned by hotel magnate Robert Bigelow, plans to make money on the desire of wealthy citizens to diversify their leisure time. Branson's competitors have chosen a different path of space exploration - instead of a ship, they are building an orbital station.
Space plane
It is difficult to explain the choice of a name by other motives, besides the desire to
associations with the classics. Millions of Americans and Europeans grew up on Star Trek, the protagonists of which were the crew of the starship Enterprise.New Enterprise, of course, is significantly different from its screen progenitor. He does not know how to overcome the speed of light and travel between star systems. This is a suborbital ship - its purpose is only to bring passengers into a zone of weightlessness.
The March tests over the Mojave Desert in California showed that Enterprise is quite capable of doing its job. During the three-hour flight of Enterprise and its carrier aircraft, no technical problems were identified. True, the ship did not go into space. The tests were limited to flying at the height of conventional jet liners. But, according to Branson, test space flights will begin later this year.
Thus, it can be stated that the WhiteKnight aircraft was the first to be tested in March. By design, it looks like a catamaran, its two cabins and engines are united by one wing. Enterprise is attached between the cabs.
According to the plan, developed in Virgin Galactic, the carrier aircraft should rise to an altitude of 35 km, where the separation of Enterprise will occur. It will turn on its own engines, with the help of which it will be able to rise to an altitude of 110 km, allowing tourists a few minutes to enjoy weightlessness and a fantastic view of the planet Earth. The cabin has six passenger seats, trim is distinguished by the luxury characteristic of luxury private jets.
Returning back will be much easier to start. Enterprise can descend from orbit
and land at the airport like a normal plane. The entire flight takes a total of several hours.Nevertheless, it will be an unforgettable few hours, Branson is convinced. His opinion is shared by many people. Rich people. Virgin Galactic set the price for one ticket at the level of $ 200 thousand. At the moment, about 300 tickets have been sold for a total of $ 45 million.
Among those who have expressed a desire to get on the first flights Enterprise - many celebrities, such as Hollywood stars John Travolta and Brad Pitt, pop star Robbie Williams. The legendary physicist Stephen Hawking dreams of flying in zero gravity.
Orbital bubble
Robert Bigelow, owner of an American hotel chain
Budget Suites of America, a person certainly not as famous as Branson. However, he can boast of an incredible commercial flair. The topic of space tourism Bigelow was addressed back in 1998, when space tourism was absolute fiction - the Mir station was still in orbit, and there were three years left before the launch of the ISS.Successfully doing the hotel business on the surface of the planet, Bigelow quite reasonably decided that he could succeed in expanding the scope of activities beyond the atmosphere. Over the past 12 years, the businessman has invested more than $ 180 million in the company Bigelow Aerospace, most of which went to the development of a project for an orbital station capable of becoming the first extraterrestrial hotel.
Bigelow started the project from scratch. The basis was taken by the development of NASA called TransHab, which was an inflatable module that was launched into space in a deflated state and then expanded in orbit to a predetermined size. Initially, NASA planned to put a residential module into orbit, in an inflated form with a diameter greater than 8 m. This is a huge design - for comparison, the largest module of the ISS today is only 4.5 m in diameter. However, in the late 1990s, due to insufficient funding, NASA curtailed the work on the project. Initiative picked Bigelow.
The businessman acquired from NASA a license for the technology of creating inflatable structures in orbit and hired a team of engineers to bring it to mind. One of the key innovations was the use of the inflatable design of Vectran - a material that is twice as strong as Kevlar.
In July 2006, the experimental module Genesis I was put into orbit and safely unfolded at a given height. A year later, the second module, Genesis II, was successfully launched into orbit.
This year, the company announced the imminent testing of the next prototype of the future station. A module with a length of more than 8 and a diameter of more than 6 m was called the Sundancer. After the module has been successfully tested, the next stage of work will be to equip it with two additional sections. The first will be equipped with engines that will allow the station to adjust its orbital movement, and the second will help the space hotel to dock with the ISS.
However, this design will be only a prototype. If successful, Bigelow Aerospace plans to test the real masterpiece of engineering - the manned vehicle BA 330. Its length will be 14 m, diameter - 6.7 m. Six people will quietly fit inside, for a comfortable stay in orbit, all amenities are provided, including beds, simulators , showers, kitchen and large stocks of products.
This will be a real space hotel, which all these years Bigelow dreamed of. The launch of BA 330 is scheduled for 2014-2015. Over time, several such modules docked to each other will make up a real orbital hotel complex. And it will be the most expensive hotel on the planet. One day of being in orbit will cost $ 1 million. However, this is preliminary information, perhaps with time Bigelow Aerospace will moderate its appetites. Maybe,
on the contrary, prices will rise.The fact is that Bigelow Aerospace does not have its own transport for delivering tourists to orbit. A few years ago, the company even announced a competition to develop a shuttle capable of bringing tourists into orbit, but even a prize fund of $ 50 million did not help attract at least one sensible project. NASA will not be able to act as a cab driver, since the agency itself will soon lose its shuttles - their flights will be curtailed at the end of this year - as well as funding that would allow developing new-generation ships. At the initiative of President Barack Obama, the preparation of space transport will be given to private companies. However, it is obvious that this is a remote perspective.
In the coming years, NASA will use the services of the Russian Union ships to deliver astronauts and cargo to the ISS. It is not excluded that Bigelow Aerospace will also have to carry its guests into orbit on the Russian “taxi”.
In addition to the hotel business, Bigelow plans other types of commercial gains from the engineering developments of his company. Inflatable orbital modules may be of interest to various public or private companies conducting research in orbit.
')
Some links on the topic:
Virgin Galactic Animation on Traveling on SpaceShipTwo
50 sec. SpaceShipTwo presentations
Virgin Galatic official website
Virgin Galactics Cute Flickr Photo
Scaled Composites LLC (USA) is a designer of SpaceShipTwo. Since 1982, it has been manufacturing experimental aircraft.
2.5 min video from NewScientist about Bigelow module
Interview of Robert Bigelow with the correspondent of Space News (transl.)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/90606/
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