User:Spitwater/Bigelow

Bigelow Aerospace is a Las Vegas, Nevada space technology startup company that is pioneering work on expandable space station modules.

An expandable module is a space structure that has a flexible outer shell, allowing conservation of diameter for launch. Once in orbit, the module is inflated to allow greater work, play, and living area for astronauts at a weight savings compared to rigid space modules. Expandable modules initially were proposed and designed by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the Transhab program. After cancellation of the Transhab program, Bigelow Aerospace entered into three Space Act agreements whereby Bigelow Aerospace is the sole commercializer of several of NASA's key expandable module technologies.

Module design
The company has developed a family of prototype and production space station modules. These include:

Genesis
The first of two one-third scale prototype modules - Genesis I - was launched on July 12, 2006. It was the first of what is planned to be a series of "pathfinder" missions designed to confirm and verify systems that will eventually be used in the full-sized, manned modules. It weighs approximately 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg), with dimensions of 14.4 feet (4.4 meters) in length and 5.3 feet (1.6 meters) in diameter, expanding to nearly 8.3 feet (4.4 meters) in diameter once in orbit. The follow-up module Genesis II

Galaxy

 * the Galaxy, a 45% scale prototype module; and the  BA 330, a full-scale production module weighing approximately 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg), with dimensions of approximately 45 feet (14 meters) in length and 22 feet (6.7 meters) in diameter when expanded.  The BA 330 was formerly referred to as the  Nautilus.

Contrary to many popular expectations, Bigelow Aerospace anticipates that its inflatable modules will be more durable than rigid modules. This is partially due to the company's use of several layers of vectran, a material twice as strong as kevlar, and also because, in theory, flexible walls should be able to sustain micrometeorite impacts better than rigid walls.

Bigelow Aerospace planned to launch the initial Genesis I module in November 2005 on the maiden launch of the SpaceX Falcon 5 rocket. This launch was delayed to Q4 2006 and subsequently to Q1 2008. In the meantime, the initial Genesis I flight was switched to the Kosmotras Dnepr rocket. On July 12, 2006, the launch of the first Genesis I module took place from ISC Kosmotras in the Orenburg region of Russia. Bigelow Aerospace has contracted to launch as many as six Bigelow station modules between 2006 and 2008 at intervals of 7 to 8 months. In 2008, Bigelow plans to launch the larger BA 330 module.

Expected uses for Bigelow Aerospace's expandable modules include microgravity research and development and space manufacturing. Other potential uses include space tourism, such as modules for orbital hotels, and space transportation, such as components in spaceships for Moon or Mars manned missions. The company plans to sell BA 330 modules for $100 million apiece. Bigelow also plans to launch by 2010 an orbital resort, tentatively called the CSS (Commercial Space Station) Skywalker.

Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow and is funded by the fortune Bigelow gained through his ownership of the hotel chain Budget Suites of America. Bigelow has stated that he is prepared to fund Bigelow Aerospace with about US$500 million through 2015.

Proposed module launch timeline
Bigelow has scheduled a number of module launches in the coming years. Bigelow reserved six launches on the Dnepr rocket for 2006 through 2008. On July 12, 2006, a Dnepr successfully launched a Genesis Pathfinder module. In early 2007, Bigelow plans to launch a second Genesis Pathfinder module. In 2007 or 2008, Bigelow plans two launches of Galaxy modules. Bigelow has not yet announced payloads for the two remaining Dnepr launches.

Additionally, Bigelow has reserved an early 2009 launch on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Bigelow has not yet announced the payload for the launch. However, this time period corresponds to that proposed by Bigelow for the launch of its first BA 330 module. The Falcon 9 is capable of launching the BA 330 module.

Note: These dates are proposed and are subject to change.

Genesis I Launch
On July 12, 2006, Genesis I launched on a Dnepr booster from Yasny Launch Base in Siberia. The launch was conducted by Bigelow and ISC Kosmotras. The mission is planned to last for five years and include extensive observation of the craft's performance including testing packing/deployment procedures and resistance to radiation and space debris, among other space hazards and conditions. Mike Gold, corporate counsel for Bigelow Aerospace, stated in relation to this mission and the next, “Our motto at Bigelow Aerospace is ‘fly early and often’. Regardless of the results of Genesis-1, we will launch a follow-up mission rapidly,” indicating that Genesis II is on track for its launch later this year. According to the Bigelow web site the Genesis I spacecraft has successfully expanded and all of the solar arrays have been deployed.

First images of Genesis I are now available on the Bigelow Aerospace website.

Fly your stuff program
Bigelow Aerospace ran a Fly your stuff program for the Genesis II launch. The cost to launch pictures or small items was around $300. The signup period for the program has ended.

Bigelow plans to photograph each item with cameras, as the items float freely inside the craft. The camera will then send the pictures back for display on the Bigelow Aerospace website. Pictures will be identified by a number on the picture in addition to the caption and the picture itself. Some items will be located many times, while others may not be. Bigelow is offering a 90-day money-back guarantee, which will be refunded in the case that a recognizable image cannot be produced. However, no new images of items floating inside Genesis 1 have been released since shortly after the launch and initial activation of the spacecraft.

Honors
Bigelow Aerospace has received several honors for its spaceflight efforts. On October 3, 2006, Bigelow Aerospace received the “Innovator Award” from the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation. The award recognizes “initiatives or new inventions that have had recent impact on or hold particular promise for satellite communications and society, and stand as distinguished examples of innovative thinking.” Robert T. Bigelow was presented the award at the Arthur C. Clarke Awards in Washington D.C. alongside Walter Cronkite, who was honored on the same night with the Arthur C. Clarke Lifetime Achievement Award.

On January 26, 2007, the Space Foundation advocacy group announced that Bigelow Aerospace would be the recipient of its 2007 Space Achievement Award. . Bigelow Aerospace joins a list of previous winners that include the Titan Launch Vehicle team; The Inertial Upper Stage team, the SpaceShipOne team; the Arianespace-CNES Ariane 4 launch team; the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) teams; the NASA/Industry Galileo space probe team; the Hubble Space Telescope team; Sea Launch; and the NASA/Boeing International Space Station team. The award will be presented to Robert T. Bigelow on April 9 at the 23rd National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo.