OBSERVATIONS FROM SCOTLAND 28 May 2008 GM1SXX
Inflatable Space Stations.
Bigelow Aerospace has just had their second 'Inflatable Space Station' launched from Yasny, Russia on a converted ICBM (DNEPR). You may think I'm joking, but read the story for yourself at genesis_II
The 'space station' is a semi-rigid structure that's inflated by gas once deployed from the carrier rocket. The station carries almost two dozen cameras, solar arrays and an attitude stabilisation system and is an improved version of the original Genesis craft. The concept of an inflatable space station is certainly not a new one but Bigelow Aerospace seem to be the first company to have used the idea seriously. The station appears to to have a silvery coloured outer shell so may make a good visual target. What I'm wondering though, is 'what frequency does Genesis II transmit on' and 'can the telemetry be decoded'. I'm sure this is one area where radio amateurs could make useful contributions.
The Genesis craft are 'proof of concept' vehicles for Bigelow Aerospace. The idea obviously does work and their future intentions are for a larger 'man-rated' craft. I can only suppose this will be aimed at the 'space tourist' who wants a longer experience in space. The advantages of an inflatable space station are rather obvious and Bigelow's method of wrapping the important 'hard' end parts of the space station around the flexible body parts seems sensible, to me at least.
I believe current aerospace technology exists to create a soft plastic skin that can be UV cured to a rigid structure once deployed. This would allow the creation of large rigid habitable space structures that could be deployed from conventional small rockets such as the Dnepr. The aviation sector currently uses a great deal of heat set fibreglass resin prepeg for large aircraft sections but perhaps the Genesis craft could (or do) use UV set resins instead. These are UV cured resins that would cure in the strong solar UV in space.
Below is a diagram of the Genesis 1, launched in 2006.
| 1 | 4.4 Meters in Length |
| 2 | 2.54 Meters in Diameter |
| 3 | 11.5 Cubic Meters of Usable Volume |
| 4 | Solar Arrays (8 total) |
| 5 |
Shell Skin: 6 Inches Thick, Multilayer System |
| 6 | Communications Antenna |
Photo Bigelow Aerospace.
Genesis II is similar but larger. Note the thickness of the outer skin... 6 inches. You can see where this idea is headed... space stations for tourists!
Photo of the interior of Genesis I, perhaps a bit cramped, but it is only a proof of concept.
References.
Genesis II
Genesis I
Future
73 Al.
GM1SXX
Back to OBSERVATIONS