Since the ISS only supports a crew of six, are they really anticipating the availability of destinations such as small commercial space hotels?
Quote from: Pipcard on 01/15/2015 02:41 AMSince the ISS only supports a crew of six, are they really anticipating the availability of destinations such as small commercial space hotels?I think the seven crew is just to say they can do the same number of passengers as the Space Shuttle did. Bragging rights.
While we're picking nits, the ECLSS in the USOS is, almost to a "T," the very same ECLSS designed for Space Station Freedom, which was baselined for a crew of 8 - two independent ARS racks and two independent WRM system racks, each planned to support a nominal 4-person metabolic load, with capacity to handle 8 if necessary (during repairs, contingencies, etc). While the module locations for some of the racks and support equipment have changed, the basic guts of the systems haven't.That said, the crew sizes for commercial vehicles are based on the general consensus of what's the best overall compromise between mass, cost and capability.
two independent ARS racks and two independent WRM system racks
Quote from: Herb Schaltegger on 01/16/2015 02:01 AMtwo independent ARS racks and two independent WRM system racksOn that topic, I wonder whether you could comment any on the wikipedia coverage:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISS_ECLSS#Air_revitalisation_systemIt seems to imply (by using the singular) the ISS has only one ARS rack. Is it ... simply wrong?Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.... Is there a good place to read about what's really up there?
A Sabatier is indeed installed and operating in one of the ARS racks now
I've always thought it was a case of one pilot + a full ISS crew in the event of a total swap-out or an emergency evacuation. It's the theoretical maximum of the design, not an anticipated baseline capability.
The title here is? Seven Crew Members.I assumed it referred to the capacity of the SpaceX Dragon v2.But you mention Soyuz??? Why??Maybe the moderator could clear things up here.But since Seven Crew Members is the title, and Soyuz only carries one space tourist at a time, why couldn't a Dragon v2 carry two crew and five space tourists aloft?Advantages?1) You don't need to learn Russian.2) You don't need to spend 6-12 months training in Russia.3) 20-40 million dollars divided by five. And in fact, since Elon Musk pushes the economic virtues of his boosters and space business, that 4-8 million per space tourist can be reduced to perhaps only 2 million dollars per space tourist to orbit the Earth and a short visit to an inflatable Bigelow orbital facility/hotel.
I think the question OP is asking, is something to the effect of "If our $150 Billion space station can only support 7 crew, how will commercial space stations make any money?"
No, my question is about commercial crew vehicles, asking why all of the CCtCap candidates have a 7 crew member capacity when the ISS already has 6 crew members and is already being serviced by at least one Soyuz.
Quote from: Pipcard on 01/25/2015 05:37 PMNo, my question is about commercial crew vehicles, asking why all of the CCtCap candidates have a 7 crew member capacity when the ISS already has 6 crew members and is already being serviced by at least one Soyuz. Quote from: Pipcard on 01/25/2015 05:37 PMNo, my question is about commercial crew vehicles, asking why all of the CCtCap candidates have a 7 crew member capacity when the ISS already has 6 crew members and is already being serviced by at least one Soyuz. Because they are all trying to market tourists for the ISS and possible vehicles for trips like bigelow.