Bigelow Aerospace Update Thread (2)

[A_M_Swallow]

After this much of a reset it may be worthwhile using the BEAM to flight test the ECLSS and galley of the spacestation.

Then there is the state of the station keeping module to worry about.

[clongton]

My girls ... are full scale satellites in their own right, as much as Sputnik and other satellites.

I don't know a lot about the aerospace industry, but...  How do you tell they're girls and not boys?

Whoops.  Gotta go...

Naval tradition is to refer to all ships in the feminine gender.
These are ships, that ply a little different ocean.

[mr. mark]

 "The company wants to build an inflatable module that could be anchored to the international space station. Called a Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, Gold said that the company has been negotiating with NASA for about two years on the potential deal, and that Bigelow has completed various planning and development milestones for NASA".

http://www.spacenews.com/venture_space/120320-bigelow-aerospace-ends-furloughs.html

[Orbital Debris]

My girls ... are full scale satellites in their own right, as much as Sputnik and other satellites.

I don't know a lot about the aerospace industry, but...  How do you tell they're girls and not boys?

Whoops.  Gotta go...

As noted above, it was somewhat in keeping with american naval and space tradition.  Also, Genny 1 and Genny 2 exhibited behavior that the engineers determined to be analogous to that of a willful female. 

[manboy]

Subtle mention of BEAM @ 1:07:00

[ChefPat]

They added a few new pix of the factory dated 3/22/12.

[A_M_Swallow]

From Bigelow's website

What competition do we see on the horizon? "Nobody.", says Mr. Bigelow.

Wrong.  Bigelow Aerospace LLC has a competitor and they are about to be overtaken.

The competitor is Excalibur Almaz Limited.

As well as a capsule they haves a spacestation.  It is 1960s Russian technology - so it is small, out of date but CHEAP.

Excalibur Almaz has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to modernize their equipment.
http://www.excaliburalmaz.com/index.php

[Jason1701]

I don't take Excalibur Almaz seriously, and I doubt that many space industry people do. Bigelow doesn't do too well in that department either, but they are a cut above EA.

[Jim]

They are not even close to overtaking Bigelow. 
And the Space Act is not for modernization, it is for commercial crew.  The modernization effort is independent of NASA.

[Airlock]

At least Bigelow is trying to produce "new" space stations instead of refurbing old soviet ones.  What is Excalibur Almaz going to do when they run out of hardware?

[A_M_Swallow]

At least Bigelow is trying to produce "new" space stations instead of refurbing old soviet ones.  What is Excalibur Almaz going to do when they run out of hardware?

This may be more appropriate thread for that question.
forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=7053

[Apollo-phill]

They added a few new pix of the factory dated 3/22/12.

Interesting set of images under Training of Astronauts on the Bigelow site as the majority of  these are of Russian cosmonauts in training 

A-P

[Ben the Space Brit]

They added a few new pix of the factory dated 3/22/12.

Interesting set of images under Training of Astronauts on the Bigelow site as the majority of  these are of Russian cosmonauts in training 

A-P

Maybe Roscosmos is angling for Soyuz as a possible crew vehicle for Bigelow stations, especially if Commercial Crew hits a lot of problems.

[Jim]

They added a few new pix of the factory dated 3/22/12.

Interesting set of images under Training of Astronauts on the Bigelow site as the majority of  these are of Russian cosmonauts in training 

A-P

Maybe Roscosmos is angling for Soyuz as a possible crew vehicle for Bigelow stations, especially if Commercial Crew hits a lot of problems.

No, just publicly available photos.   Reading too much into it.  Bigelow has said he wants an American vehicle.

[go4mars]

Mr. Big said he is willing to spend up to $320 million more (of his own money). 

Looks like he'll either need money from a partner, or he'll have to wait for cheaper launch costs to get his Big stuff up there.

$320 million isn't enough with today's launch costs to get it up there and do it right imo.  But $80M for a launch might entice him.  But then the market is limited to people who can pay $20 million or so to get there and back. 

But if things get reusable, he might have a bunch of sudden competition...

Anyone think he is waiting on FH success?  Or is he waiting for reusability?

[tigerade]

Anyone think he is waiting on FH success?  Or is he waiting for reusability?

I think he's waiting on commercial crew.

[ChefPat]

Mr. Big said he is willing to spend up to $320 million more (of his own money). 

Looks like he'll either need money from a partner, or he'll have to wait for cheaper launch costs to get his Big stuff up there.

$320 million isn't enough with today's launch costs to get it up there and do it right imo.  But $80M for a launch might entice him.  But then the market is limited to people who can pay $20 million or so to get there and back. 

But if things get reusable, he might have a bunch of sudden competition...

Anyone think he is waiting on FH success?  Or is he waiting for reusability?

He doesn't like being called "Mr Big"    "Mr B" is the preferred title.
The amount Mr B has spent is now in the neighborhood of $225 million. He's waiting for commercial crew more than anything else. Once a commercial ship is flying & transport costs are a little more known we'll see if he can score a paying customer or 2.

[QuantumG]

I think he's waiting on commercial crew.

I think he's waiting on commercial crew and a contract from NASA for a station.

[RocketmanUS]

They added a few new pix of the factory dated 3/22/12.

Interesting set of images under Training of Astronauts on the Bigelow site as the majority of  these are of Russian cosmonauts in training 

A-P

Maybe Roscosmos is angling for Soyuz as a possible crew vehicle for Bigelow stations, especially if Commercial Crew hits a lot of problems.

No, just publicly available photos.   Reading too much into it.  Bigelow has said he wants an American vehicle.

For the node is it possible to have an American docking port on one side and a Russian docking port on the other? That would seem to me that it would be an added benefit.

[RocketmanUS]

Mr. Big said he is willing to spend up to $320 million more (of his own money). 

Looks like he'll either need money from a partner, or he'll have to wait for cheaper launch costs to get his Big stuff up there.

$320 million isn't enough with today's launch costs to get it up there and do it right imo.  But $80M for a launch might entice him.  But then the market is limited to people who can pay $20 million or so to get there and back. 

But if things get reusable, he might have a bunch of sudden competition...

Anyone think he is waiting on FH success?  Or is he waiting for reusability?

Sundancer should be able to launch on F9 or Atlas V within that budget.