Author Topic: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)  (Read 661141 times)

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #600 on: 09/18/2014 09:27 am »
With announcement of CST100 and Dragon V2 being selected for CC, Bigelow can finally proceed with his spacestation plans. Last I heard the plan to launch the station in 2017-18, currently in production.

Jezz Bezo is still proceeding with development of a space vehicle, another capsule from the little I can find on it. 

If SNC carries on with DC that will be 4 commercial space vehicles flying by 2020.

Bigelow is going to be spoiled for choice when it comes to taxis.

Offline bad_astra

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #601 on: 09/18/2014 02:54 pm »
This may have been asked elsewhere, but if NASA is not going to reuse the CST100 and Dragon V2's they purchase, can they be sold back to the vendor somehow for further commercial use with, for instance, Bigelow?
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Offline oiorionsbelt

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #602 on: 09/18/2014 03:37 pm »
This may have been asked elsewhere, but if NASA is not going to reuse the CST100 and Dragon V2's they purchase, can they be sold back to the vendor somehow for further commercial use with, for instance, Bigelow?
NASA is buying a service not a vehicle, they require a new vehicle for the the service. Therefore there is no need for the service provider to "buy back the vehicle" as it was never sold.

Offline ThereIWas3

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #603 on: 09/18/2014 04:02 pm »
So SpaceX is free to re-use the Dragon for some other customer who is not so picky.
They could end up with half a dozen re-usable Dragons at NASA's expense out of this
one contract.

Offline oiorionsbelt

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #604 on: 09/18/2014 05:37 pm »
So SpaceX is free to re-use the Dragon for some other customer who is not so picky.
They could end up with half a dozen re-usable Dragons at NASA's expense out of this
one contract.
Yes and this was true for the cargo Dragon v1's as well. However none of those have been re-used yet. There is a picture floating around this site somewhere of them sitting in a warehouse.
« Last Edit: 09/18/2014 05:38 pm by oiorionsbelt »

Offline raketa

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #605 on: 09/18/2014 06:39 pm »

So SpaceX is free to re-use the Dragon for some other customer who is not so picky.
They could end up with half a dozen re-usable Dragons at NASA's expense out of this
one contract.
Yes and this was true for the cargo Dragon v1's as well. However none of those have been re-used yet. There is a picture floating around this site somewhere of them sitting in a warehouse.
They could be reuse during test fly Falcon 9H, to demonstrate flyby mission around Moon and landing back on the earth.

Online Chris Bergin

Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #606 on: 09/19/2014 08:28 pm »
Stay on topic folks!
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Offline mvpel

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Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #607 on: 10/02/2014 05:16 pm »
The Bigelow BA330 1/3 scale mock-up, and the HO-scale lunar and Mars colony displays, at the US Space and Rocket Center today in Huntsville.
« Last Edit: 10/02/2014 10:19 pm by mvpel »
"Ugly programs are like ugly suspension bridges: they're much more liable to collapse than pretty ones, because the way humans (especially engineer-humans) perceive beauty is intimately related to our ability to process and understand complexity. A language that makes it hard to write elegant code makes it hard to write good code." - Eric S. Raymond

Offline kerlc

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #608 on: 10/02/2014 05:41 pm »
Shiny.

Does anyone know if BEAM is on track for its SpaceX CRS-8 flight?
Quote from: wannamoonbase
Be patient people, rockets are hard.

Offline A_M_Swallow

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #609 on: 10/02/2014 09:45 pm »
I do wonder how the lunar buildings will land vertically when the engines are horizontal.

Offline Nindalf

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #610 on: 10/02/2014 09:50 pm »
I do wonder how the lunar buildings will land vertically when the engines are horizontal.
Step 1: Circularize to very low orbit.
Step 2: Kill orbital velocity.
Step 3: Assume step 2 is instantaneous.
Step 4: Extend legs.

Offline A_M_Swallow

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #611 on: 10/02/2014 10:02 pm »
I do wonder how the lunar buildings will land vertically when the engines are horizontal.
Step 1: Circularize to very low orbit.
Step 2: Kill orbital velocity.
Step 3: Assume step 2 is instantaneous.
Step 4: Extend legs.

Very very low.  I doubt the legs can take a drop of more than a few feet.

Offline nadreck

Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #612 on: 10/02/2014 10:10 pm »
I do wonder how the lunar buildings will land vertically when the engines are horizontal.
Step 1: Circularize to very low orbit.
Step 2: Kill orbital velocity.
Step 3: Assume step 2 is instantaneous.
Step 4: Extend legs.

Very very low.  I doubt the legs can take a drop of more than a few feet.

How about land it vertically, inflate it, tip it over, and when it stops bouncing, go on board, squirrel cage it to upright, then extend the legs.
It is all well and good to quote those things that made it past your confirmation bias that other people wrote, but this is a discussion board damnit! Let us know what you think! And why!

Offline Orbital Debris

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #613 on: 10/02/2014 11:21 pm »
Shiny.

Does anyone know if BEAM is on track for its SpaceX CRS-8 flight?

Bigelow is due to deliver data/results from analysis and testing to NASA this month for verification.  Apparently they passed the phase 2 safety review last year, and are due for the phase 3 review by the end of this year.  AFAIK, still on schedule.


Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #614 on: 10/03/2014 12:48 am »
I do wonder how the lunar buildings will land vertically when the engines are horizontal.
When comes to landing on moon the bulk of DV required is for deorbit burn which is horizontal. The actual energy and propulsion required for final vertical landing is quite small. Google ULA DTAL and Masten Xeus landers. Using these concepts you could land a BA330 by using a large propulsion stage at one end and small propulsion stage at the other end. The large propulsion stage would to do the deorbit burn with its main engine eg RL10. The small vertical thrusters (can use storable propellant) on each stage would do the final landing.

There are variations on this idea. Use a standard Centuar upper stage to do bulk of deorbit burn, then separate and return to orbit. Leaving 2 small stages for final landing. Allows you to reuse the expensive Centuar stage.

Using storable propellant for vertical thrusters would allow you fly BA330 to different location close by. Eg into lava cave.

Offline darkenfast

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #615 on: 10/03/2014 07:49 am »
I do wonder how the lunar buildings will land vertically when the engines are horizontal.
When comes to landing on moon the bulk of DV required is for deorbit burn which is horizontal. The actual energy and propulsion required for final vertical landing is quite small. Google ULA DTAL and Masten Xeus landers. Using these concepts you could land a BA330 by using a large propulsion stage at one end and small propulsion stage at the other end. The large propulsion stage would to do the deorbit burn with its main engine eg RL10. The small vertical thrusters (can use storable propellant) on each stage would do the final landing.

There are variations on this idea. Use a standard Centuar upper stage to do bulk of deorbit burn, then separate and return to orbit. Leaving 2 small stages for final landing. Allows you to reuse the expensive Centuar stage.

Using storable propellant for vertical thrusters would allow you fly BA330 to different location close by. Eg into lava cave.

How long is a Centaur stage going to last in orbit?
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Offline arachnitect

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #616 on: 10/03/2014 04:59 pm »
I do wonder how the lunar buildings will land vertically when the engines are horizontal.
When comes to landing on moon the bulk of DV required is for deorbit burn which is horizontal. The actual energy and propulsion required for final vertical landing is quite small. Google ULA DTAL and Masten Xeus landers. Using these concepts you could land a BA330 by using a large propulsion stage at one end and small propulsion stage at the other end. The large propulsion stage would to do the deorbit burn with its main engine eg RL10. The small vertical thrusters (can use storable propellant) on each stage would do the final landing.

There are variations on this idea. Use a standard Centuar upper stage to do bulk of deorbit burn, then separate and return to orbit. Leaving 2 small stages for final landing. Allows you to reuse the expensive Centuar stage.

Using storable propellant for vertical thrusters would allow you fly BA330 to different location close by. Eg into lava cave.

How long is a Centaur stage going to last in orbit?

Existing Centaur maybe half a day, but the IVF program ULA is working on could extend that to several days

Offline RanulfC

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #617 on: 10/03/2014 08:00 pm »
I do wonder how the lunar buildings will land vertically when the engines are horizontal.

The engines are not horizontal they are vertical. They are not even pictured in the cited models unless they are the "quad" around the forward end of the attachments to the modules? IIRC the slide shown of the procedure those modules had side mounted vertically orientated rockets for de-orbit and landing the modules as a whole unit.

Randy
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British physics, old chap. It's undignified to belch flames and effluvia all over the pad, what. A true gentlemen's orbital conveyance lifts itself into the air unostentatiously, with the minimum of spectacle and a modicum of grace. Not like our American cousins' launch vehicles, eh?

Offline mr. mark

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #618 on: 10/07/2014 04:17 pm »
Beam seems to be on track for a 2015 launch date.
Source: Space.com http://www.space.com/27356-bigelow-inflatable-room-space-station.html
« Last Edit: 10/07/2014 04:18 pm by mr. mark »

Offline docmordrid

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Re: Bigelow Aerospace Update and Discussion Thread (3)
« Reply #619 on: 10/08/2014 04:23 am »
I do wonder how the lunar buildings will land vertically when the engines are horizontal.

The engines are not horizontal they are vertical. They are not even pictured in the cited models unless they are the "quad" around the forward end of the attachments to the modules? IIRC the slide shown of the procedure those modules had side mounted vertically orientated rockets for de-orbit and landing the modules as a whole unit.

Randy

This is an old image, lacking in detail, but it may reveal some of their thinking...
DM

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