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Motel 6... Hundred Miles Up
SatelliteBoy writes: "Robert Bigelow, the tycoon behind Budget Suites of America, has founded Bigelow Aerospace. He just announced plans to launch a space station. He claims it can go up within 30 months. Let's see what this costs to visit..."
Already been done, sorry.
Reckoned the first were Russian cosmonauts some years ago, while apparently NASA experimented with a married couple a while back.
You're supposed to need restraints to link you to the wall or you tend to float off into the distance rather quickly...
to quote al pacino in "heat" - you could get killed walking your doggie!.
Don Negro
Don Negro
Perl 6 will give you the big knob. -- Larry Wall
>outside the US
ahah! At long last, we've found the rumored developer of commercial BeOS applications. "If it sells just one ticket . .
:)
> and the US has absolutely no gun-toting
> warlords of its own. and the US has absolutely > no gun-toting warlords of its own.
1) she wan't a warlord, but had a legal office.
2) She left town with Bill & Co. in January
hawk
Actually, the ISS is quite noisy. At one point, background noise levels on the Zvezda module were on average, 70-75 dB. So, you may not hear this:
"Honey, we're going to have to use more straps. I just cant get enough friction."
"That's because you keep floating away from me."
But you will hear the incessent drone of hydraulic pumps and fans and dust collectors. Ah, how romantic!
Tito rode Russian vehicles; he didn't ride on a shuttle -- not on the way up, and not on the way down.
That that is is that that that that is not is not.
Think about what happens with spillover in a zero-gravity environment.
"Honey, the regs say you have to swallow..."
Ross Perot's based out of Texas, not Nevada.
Hillary Clinton's in New York/Washington D.C.
Besides, what makes Bigelow a crazy megalomaniac? Because he's got money and wants to build a space station?
Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
I wonder if they move it closer to the sun if they will need to leave the light on for you at all...
It takes years of training to learn to fly a 747. It takes five minutes to run through the safety briefing for passengers . . .
As to the health demands of space, they've sent up large numbers of middle-aged and even a few elderly people. Aside from space sickness (which apparently affects both young and old equally), and the G's of the launch (a rollercoaster probably applies more acceleration, and certainly more unpredictably), space is quite fine health-wise for a short-term visit.
Go you big red fire engine!
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
Probably because Bigelow Aerospace is a defense contracter, and he'll probably manage to make more doing it this way. If the feds try to keep him from doing it, he'll likely look elsewhere.
"The things we wizards have to put up with."--Jethro Bodine
No deuce!!!!
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Spoken like a true armchair expert. So tell us, what was YOUR direct experience of sex in space like?
7 November 2006: The day Americans realized corruption and incompetence weren't addressing 11 September 2001
So begin and end the flight in a different country.
Of course, what about the hotel flying/hovering "above the US". At what height does jurisdiction end?
Well, that's just NASA funding though, those states will still get other federal funding for roads, health programs, etc. The total will be more than 6%.
Caution: contents may be quarrelsome and meticulous!
Your right to not believe: Americans United for Separation of Church and
Caution: contents may be quarrelsome and meticulous!
Your right to not believe: Americans United for Separation of Church and
Now thats a $65,000 question: Who was the first person to have sex (with another person) in space? Well, actually, the first to have any sex in space would be a milestone too.
They've already had a, ahem, head start. Check out The Uranus Experiment. Shot on the vomit comet, it promises (and delivers) the world's first zero-g cum shot.
Okay, it's not space per se, but boldy coming on the comet is surely the first step.
People like to have a certain amount of trust in the organization that puts them on top of a Saturn V...
Silly Rabbit, sigs are for kids.
It's not a hoax. I know some of the technical team involved. They're pretty serious about it. And $500 million ain't chicken feed.
Why has nobody else done it? I dunno, but somebody's got to be first in anything. Now's the right time for this to happen; and Bigelow's in the right place. Should be interesting!
Energy: time to change the picture.
There are Russian launchers for both cargo (Proton, not to mention Energiya) and people (Soyuz) that can easily handle what Bigelow needs, for 1/5th to 1/10th Shuttle prices. It'd be nice to have American companies that can do it too, but I think Bigelow's plans on this are pretty realistic if he can make use of the Russian hardware.
Energy: time to change the picture.
and
and finally,
The US doesn't own "everything around the Earth". But per the Outer Space Treaty, the US is responsible for the actions in space of any US-based "entities". Thus, proper govenmental clearance must be obtained before any activities can take place.
i definitely don't want to hear the words 'budget' and 'space travel' in the same sentence.
here we are, sir. your neoprene scuba suit, a heavy winter jacket, two pairs of mittens, and a motorcycle helmet. ask your bunkmate to tie you down with this twine, and enjoy your flight!
complex
'Cause I'll be ancient by the time this thing actually comes together. I just hope I survive the liftoff.
Blar.
Last time I checked - 60,000 feet. There's airspace classes. If you pass through these airspaces you must have permission of the FAA to do so. There is a layer from 18,000 ft(???) to 60,000 feet. I think those numbers are right. FAA has control over those spaces. So the floating hotel should be fine. The flying through us airspace is gonna get tricky. As for being in other countries they will have regs too. Oh and then on return you have to come through cutoms. For FAA details on this stuff see here.
-cpd
The big bottleneck is getting people there. Assuming you still use Soyuz's, you could carry two passangers and one professional Cosmonaut. That'd split the fare Dennis Tito paid in half but that's still a lot of money. Are there enough people who can:
(a) Afford it
(b) Are fit enough (rich people are often old)
(c) Can spare the time to train (rich people are usually busy)
to make the whole thing worthwhile. Still, I hope this goes ahead.
So why launch out of the US?
A launch pad will have to be constructed. Why not do it somewhere else? I bet there are quite a few coastal South American countries that would like a few bucks to locate the launch facilities there.
I mean if you are going to space, why not take a nice cruise first.
I see the US space program starting to loose out on highly profitible ventures if they don't losen up a little bit. If you take a billionare up on every time you can basicly make the flight for free.
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Like I was saying in another post...
Just buy up some coastal land in South America. Fix everything up all nice. Then offer as part of the space launch an ocean cruise.
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Oops, I meant to type "shouldn't".
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Why is he even bothering with the FAA and United States legal BS? If he launches from some other country, like one near the equator to decrease the amount of fuel needed to get into orbit, he should have to deal with the FAA and the US government at all.
Isn't there already a launchpad in some african country near the equator, or didn't russia just make some deal to put one there?
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Not that that proves that no one's ever "done it" in space. Cecil Adams of Straight Dope fame, however, throws water on the idea that anyone ever has "done it".
And what happens when muscles go into atrophy? Or at least start? This doesn't sound fun.
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ping -f 255.255.255.255 # if only
...If the story is for real, that is.
I especially like this part of the article:
"They are asking us for patience and for a
lot of details,'' said Bigelow, who formed Bigelow
Aerospace in 1999 and has promised to spend $500
million on his effort over the next 15 years.
"The papers and forms don't exist for an
application like this.''
...Um, $500 million? Considering that the United
States alone is spending some $95 billion on the
ISS, I don't quite understand. Is he going to put a
cardboard box up there?
www.timcoleman.com is a total waste of your time. Never go there.
I imagine that the pool would actually be a room filled with water; the swimmers would use air tanks. The advantage to floating in a normal 0G environment would be that one can swim much more easily through water than air. In fact, I can even foresee that it might make sense to fill certain spaces of a ship with water for exactly that reason. OTOH, the downside would be that one would need to store a lot of air.
My possible answer: because most Americans think alike, and most Americans voice their opinions loudly.
-- Colin
The Shuttle is a complete failure if you measure that by it's ability to meet it's objectives. When it was designed, it was expected to cost $50M per launch, not the current $500M+. The cheapest way to put stuff in space is still big fireworks.
In an effor to raise funds for my trip to the spotel, I am selling off some excess inventory. All are in good condition and have been well-maintained.
1976 Caucasian Wife, low mileage, good in bed
1979 Caucasian Mistress, high mileage, nicer titties.
One Kidney, redundant system unneeded
One Right Arm, redundant system mostly unneeded
1971 Caucasion Soul, mostly unused but has a tendency for occasional evil.
$500,000 OBO.
- Rev.Despite all the hype, NASA & the US government aren't really very good at practical planning ahead.
Oh, I don't know - you could also present the argument that if ther *was* an accident with another space group, that NASA would get a fair bit of extra work out of it ("Those NASA fellows know their safety" etc etc)
Anyway, most people have a fair idea that space is hazardous. Anyone who tells me that accelerating to orbital velocity on the top of a gigantic chemical reaction is safe will get the "keep smiling, don't make eye contact, back away slowly" treatment from me.
** Windows has detected a mouse movement.
You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
There is a lot of hype here.
and if your credit card comes back denied, we'll throw you into the airlock and put your lights out for you.
No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova
It was designed for 12 shuttles at a cost of $500 mil each. Taht got cut to 6 at a billion each. The systems were designed for 20 shuttles and a luanch every two days.
NOT A CHANCE! this thing will be so tied up in regulatory red tape that it would be lucky if it could launch from the US in 10-15 years, much less 2 and ahalf like he's talking about. Hell, it takes the FAA longer than that to even certify an airplane for commercial sale. Not if the get smart and go from some other country
Its not good to reply to bait, but I'll do it anyways.
:-)
Getting to orbit is one problem, what to do once you are there is another. Bigelow is the first to announce a solid plan for a civilian space station which can be used for tourists and cheaper scientific studies.
Tito is untrained as an astronaut
Tito paid for his training, and spent 9 months of his life working at the cosmodrome to become a fully fledged cosmonaut.
There are other *naut training programs on this planet besides NASA. The russians have one, the European Space Agency has one. The Japanese are creating one, and China has claimed to have one. One of those would love to earn the money from setting up a "civilian" school to train hotel station crew. I know of several commercial airline pilots who would love to spend a couple years of their life as space hotel crew.
Imagine putting on your CV that you worked in a space station, and have logged 17 million flight miles. Earthside jobs might be kind of boring after that.
no space oriented engineers working on it
Why couldn't they get space oriented engineers working on it? There certainly are enough with experience who would jump at the chance to leave NASA's stifling bureaucracy and work in the private sector. There are probably thousands who have already made the jump, and the Russian program would also be a good recruiting ground.
he could cause the death of hundreds of people
At most, with 3 habitation modules, the space hotel could only support 12 or so people. A captain, 3 crew, 2 scientists, and 6 guests. With hundreds of people ready to put up a million US dollars for a short stay in orbit, the hotel could pay for itself with an active 10 year life span. There would also be a steady revenue from scientific companies who can't afford NASAs outrageous payload requirements. TV reality shows already have huge budgets, and someone would love to pay-per-view the first sex in space.
If Bigelow can sustain the capital flow to get regulatory approval, certainly there are launch sites that can put up his modules. They can be launched from Khazakstan or Sea Launch, and avoid most of the NASA/FAA BS.
Tito was the first leak in the dike NASA has imposed, and I'd expect the dam to start to leak more and more soon. There are at least a dozen viable commercial re-usable LEO launcher programs under development. Tito showed all of us dreamers that space can be had by merely throwing money around. Bigelow obviously saw the same thing, and has the capital to act on this Next Big Thing.
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
You are using the 1960's technology space shuttle as the basis for all the stress astronauts encounter during launch.
:-)
There are at least a dozen programs under way to create a low-cost civilian earth-to-LEO launch system. Either launch simple rockets or planes from baloon platforms at 100,000 feet, or use a cargo plane to get to 50,000+ feet and drop from the wing, or SSTO, and the list goes on. The one most likely to be successful will allow just about anyone in reasonable physical shape to get to orbit without violent stresses.
But you are right on the rich part, but you would be surprised how many rich, adventurous people are out there. And don't forget corporations, especially entertainment companies, who could afford to send 3 couples, a cameraman and producer up for a reality based show. Brings whole new meaning to voting someone off the station
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
Once we start sacrificing safety, things will get cheaper. All regulated US transportation industries are much safter than those that are not. Compare airplanes and trains to cars, or even to semis. But, if space has a fatality rate close to the 41,800 per year in the US (1.6 per 100 million vehicle miles), I don't think many people would want to go.
Too big to fail? Does that make me to small to succeed?
It would seriously suck to be housekeeping up there. I imagine maids have interesting stories down here, but I can't imagine everything they'd run into up there.
Think about what happens with spillover in a zero-gravity environment.(define spillover as you wish).
I know the hotel would probably have some technique to create artificial gravity, but still there will be areas (as crowdpleasers) where zero-gravity can be experienced. People will find a way to experiment with this in every way you can or cannot imagine, and in ways you wish you couldn't imagine. eww.
I wonder if they will have a swimming pool. That would be odd in zero G. a big sphere of water hovering in the middle of the room.
This sounds extremely dangerous; Water containment would be the first challenge; I don't know how surface tension differs, but it would stand to my reason that , a "big sphere" would react to newtonian physics as well - if everyone jupmed in on one side, using the walls as a push point or whatever, then the mass of water would be pushed around quite easily. And break. Then you have perpetual zero-grav percipitation, not a pool.
The bigger challenge I see is orientation and buoyancy. IN a 10' deep pool, most people know to swim "up". In a zero-grav environment, especially where pressure is significantly lower than what people are used to, one would easily become quite disoriented. Without unfamiliar buyancy charqacteristics, people could suffocate themselves by swimming "in" instead of "out".
I'm not saying I'd never swim in outerspace; it sounds like a bit of fun, actually. But I'd want a few lessons beforehand.
Whats worse is there is a building on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus named for this guy.
Robert L. Bigelow Physics Building #50 (ironic eh?). I had a class in there last semester too...
The Doormat
If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.
Do you have any idea just how expensive it is to fly to third-world countries
A damn sight cheaper than to fly into space, I bet ... ;)
Steve
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The US and Russia have very different economies. You can't compare what it costs to do business in one country with what it costs in another. Chances are many of the subcontractors that NASA uses are paid 10x yearly what the Russian workers make. That adds up quickly.
just my blog and pix
re the title:
Robin Williams once made a "Martian Haiku":
Red Sand between my toes
Summer Vacation in outer space
That was a martian haiku, thank you
From "Reality: What a Concept". Of course, it's not a haiku.
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
Face it, the US is the only country doing anything at all in space anymore.
Not even close. The European Space Agency puts more heavy satellites in geo-synchronous orbit than any other space agency. AFAIK, French based Ariane-Space operates the space launch center in Kourou, French Guiana in South America. They have more launches in a year than anybody else, including NASA and the Russians. The Japanese have even sent a probe to the Moon and are planning to send another to Mars using their own rocket technology. Even India is getting in on the satellite launching business.
My question is, why do Americans think the rest of the world has no technology?
I think will open up too much of a can of worms. There still a lot we don't completely understand. To allow tourists into space now? Bad idea. Befor eyou know it, our skies will be cluttered with "space hotels" from the Los Vegas hotel billionares. I say give it 10 to 20 more years before atempting somehting like this. This will give us time to advance our technology--hopefully to a point where this woudl be safe.
At the next eco-hypocrisy-meeting, count the private jets used to get to the meeting. Should be interesting to see that
You know, I still don't understand how spaces can be qualified as fit for human habitation in outer space.
You drill a hole in some metal, you get floating metal filings. You don't want to breathe that in! Someone vomits in their room and without decent air scrubbers; those airosols end up everywhere!
Unless every space is designed with air evacuation in mind, you would end up with places that are not properly scrubbed. You would have to be wearing a mask.
That said; all those sci-fi movies with people saying captain its breathable; are BS.
Also, what agency determines that this place is fit for human habitation? NASA? Thats not their job...
some more perspective. While it will rank as one of the greatest achievements of mankind. During the first ten years of the Apollo moon program (up to the actual first man on the moon), cost 5% of the US gross national product for the period. For 10 years, 5% of the gross production of the US went to the moon program. Think about it. Kennedy had some serious balls.
Someone you trust is one of us.
I'm glad they did too. However, putting a man on the moon stirs up the spirit a bit more than that orbiting vegitable garden they have now (Internation Space Station). By the way, that zero-G brocolli experement takes up 6% of the annual US Budget. (Far more than the roughly 3% tax cut about to be passed).
Someone you trust is one of us.
Hate to argue, but I think your NASA figures are way off the charts. The AP reported that the shuttle costs upwards of 1 billion/mission including development costs. NASA quoted the number at 490 million/launch in 1999. The simple math is that the human flight budget plus mission support is budgeted for a bit over 8 billion FY2001 and they are planning 8 missions. This doesn't included NASA's non-shuttle costs, nor amorization of costs already spent.
Someone you trust is one of us.
I could not agree with you any more. The bottom line, is that all government spending starts out with the best intentions (man in space, get to the moon). But once you spend, they can't stop. Look at NASA. Florida, California and Texas. Hmmm, like a politician is going to cut pork spending in one of those states? I mean, who needs FLORIDA to win an election? NASA will consume a little over 6% of the federal budget in 2002. Those three states get the bulk of that percentage. Think about that. Three states getting 6% of the federal budget. Ok, you are a Senator from Florida. You are getting some piece of 6% of the federal budget, just for NASA. Are you going to say, "Hold on one second, we need to drive these costs down!" I doubt it.
Someone you trust is one of us.
For the same reason they hated Tito. NASA doesn't want anybody to build a space station for 500 million dollars, because it shows how rediculous their budget is. It was the same deal with Tito. Tito payed roughly 12 million to go into space (despite NASA's attempts to claim the number was really 20 million). The Russian crew was three including Tito. Assuming, that the 12 million was enough to cover the costs of a single crew member (why else would they do it), that suggests that it only cost the Russians at most about 36 million (I'm sure it was less). It costs NASA 600 million for each space shuttle launch ( = Space shuttle annual budget / number of launches). Now, if you are a NASA administrator, and some guys says he's going to spend 500 million on a space station, and you can't launch the shuttle for that, what are you going to say!
Someone you trust is one of us.
obviously you've never had sex in space.
E.
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This Post has been brought to you by the letter "E".
Will they play "Also Sprach Zarathrustra" during the docking procedure?
Yeah, wow, man, it feels like I'm floating! And hey, I'm seeing stars! Far out man!
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I don't want to rule the world... I just want to be in charge of mayonnaise.
If it were, it might be at one end of a chamber, clinging to the side by surface tension. With any vigorous swimming, it'd probably wind up with gobs of water and air flying around; but one huge ball of water in the center of the room would never stay there.
But this won't happen for financial reasons. It costs about $5000 to boost a pound of payload into orbit. 8 pounds of water to a gallon, three gallons to the cubic foot, hundreds of square feet to a swimming pool, and this space pond costs 60 million dollars for a lousy 500 cubic foot pool. And that's before evaporation.
Now, if they can harvest a passing comet and get the water out of that, they wouldn't have to pay for the delta vee and maybe this could be tried. But not soon.
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I don't want to rule the world... I just want to be in charge of mayonnaise.
Err, run that past me again dood?
You don't want the hassle of getting a passport and a visa but you are looking forward to the Washington to Tokyo shuttle...
Umm.... which Tokyo are we talking about? would it be the Japanese one?
I already bought tickets to Boston for our honeymoon. Zero-G would be lots more fun!
Got Rhinos?
who will be the first to join the "100 miles high" club?
So, how 'bout this:
NASA Mission STS 51-A - if I remember correctly, Anna Fisher and Frederick Hauck were on the mission, and were (still are I believe) husband and wife.
Odds are good they're the first.
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I like to watch.
Um, "me too" (applied to all of the other people who've been rebutting the "no Tom, Dick or Harries" comment).
Thanks to the romanticization of spaceflight, we're the victim of 1950's mindsets... the whole point to astronaut/cosmonaut training is to get the "best of the best" which means someone of superlative intelligence, education, and physical conditioning.
When you push the known limits of physiology, or you're doing bleeding-edge experiments in the sciences, these sorts of people are necessary.
A balmy day on the Jersey Shore will make it clear that such standards cannot be applied to the rigors of taking a holiday.
...When in doubt, think for yourself.
Exactly like that! Although the only part of that description that makes it stupid is the 'vacation' aspect of it.
Besides, is it worse than hang-gliding, bungee jumping, skydiving, or many other things that people do for vacation?
*BOOM!*
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
All I can say is that it's about bloody TIME!
We were promised this decades ago. Now it's starting to happen. Maybe I'll see space tourism in my lifetime afterall.
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
I can hardly wait for the sequel :)
Zero g is not like floating. "Floating" would be if you could keep yourself in the air, despite one g of force pushing down on you. Zero g feels more like falling. Falling at 9.8 m/s^2, to be precise. That's why it's called "free fall," because you're just falling around the Earth perpetually when you're in orbit (like Douglas Adams' throwing yourself at the ground and missing). This is why space sickness lasts for hours. Besides, who wants to feel like they're floating? Maybe afterwards, but during that just sounds a little too passive for my tastes.
find a wall to brace yourselves on, or push against And bounce right off it... If you've got her against the wall, the only thing you have to push against is the air behind you. So youd be flailing your arms crazily trying to essentially "swim" back and forth through the air. If you're against the wall, they you'll just push right off it on the first thrust. So, either you could bounce around the room, thrusting once every time you hit a wall, or you could find a narrow corridor, so you can push off the wall behind you, while pushing her into the wall behind her.
Then you can tell your friends, In space, I could hear her scream....
This is just stupid.
The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that, it's all learned.
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
And I wasn't saying it would be impossible, just that it would be much more difficult. Sort of like having sex in the back seat of a car, it's certainly very doable, and fun besides, but most of us would much prefer a nice big bed.
The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that, it's all learned.
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
I've heard it said (on what authority, I honestly have no idea) that the lack of gravity actually makes things a lot more difficult (you push, she just floats away). However, breasts in zero g would certainly be a sight to behold...
The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that, it's all learned.
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
You don't think the best engineers work for government pay in a government bureaucracy, do you? They might work for contractors like Lockheed, but I guarantee you they're not settling for civil servant wages.
If there's money, they'll be happy to follow it, just like in the IT industry.
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-- @rjamestaylor on Ello
We'll leave the life support on fer ya.
Ok my karma is maxed out. When do I become Enlightened?
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Check out AST. These guys are the regulators of space acitvity in the US. It's a new group, and they're not clued in completely to commercial space yet. They're learning, but it will take time before they figure out a business-friendly stance
I would think that FDA jurisdiction is just like
it is down here. If you want to import it to
the US then you have to follow certain FDA
guidelines. Just like when US drug companies
want to export drugs to Europe or Canada they
have to obey those country's regulations on top
of what the FDA says. There is a standard that
most EU countries are starting to follow for
drug manufacturing which is ISO 14464. The
canucks have their own drug agency but I don't
recall what their name is. So it all boils down
to where the drug manufactured in space will be
headed to at the end of production.
Is it just me or did someone else notice that all these crazy megalomaniacs are always based in the most kitsch and megalomaniac city of this world?
Welcome the the future... Gigolo Aerospace...
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do { Work(); PayTaxes(); Eat(); Sleep(); } while (alive)
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while (alive) { Work(); PayTaxes(); Eat(); Sleep(); }
Bool
A Las Vegas hotel tycoon is seeking permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to build a private space station
Why should you even need permission? No one has claim to space, it's beyond any government agency. True you must launch from somewhere...so what. If someone has deep enough pockets to fund the brain power behind it then go for it.
Sorry, this is one thing that just irks me to death. I've always hated the space industry being government run.
I'd be more worried about toxic MIR space fungus
eating at my Space Shuttle parked outside...
Rats would be more funny if they could fart.
If high acceleration engines (10-50) are ever developed, people will have to be immersed and pressurized in liquid in order to survive the acceleration. I forget what sci-fi book I saw it in. Preferably breathable liquid. I'm not sure how many G's astronauts experience in conventional rockets (or rockets-with-wings), but I think it's around 4 or 5.
[pink beam of light]
I doubt it. I think the rigorous training is merely circumspection/extra precautions on NASA's part. If you can fly an 80 year old U.S. senator (John Glenn) into space, you could fly your average 40 year old flabby millionare without too much difficulty. The most stressful thing is probably the "G" forces and a bit of physical training and "G" training in a simulator would probably acclimatize your average person. I'd guess medically it would probably be about as dangerous as smoking cigarette's. Probably no immediate danger (if you've had simulator training) but possibly a higher correlation in later life with some organ damage.
THREE STATES GETTING 6%!! I'm so offended! Oh wait, no I'm not, because 6 divided by three is 2, and two percent, oddly enough, is 1/50th of 100 percent.
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Crudely Drawn Games
What happens when we run out of space... in space?
I know little about it, but I know the earth's gravitational pull can carry on a LOT of baggage -- but seriously, after so many years, not only would there be problems with satellites colliding, but could this also have an affect on the ozone in any way? I ask because, although there is no real pollution, if it affects in any way the gravitational pull of the earth, does that no also affect our climate?
I realize it would take a LOT to affect the earth... but looking out.
Also, can you have additional layers of satellites? The closer you are, the faster the orbit. The further out you are, the slower -- but the outer layers also affect the inner layers.
At some point, there will have to be international control of space traffic. As well as anti-satellite defense. Who controls protecting space traffic now? Is it international?
I come with more questions than answers.
The next comment I write will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
Sounds like the "Space Island Group" has some competition for thier sex hotel in space.
~~ What's stopping you?
What else do you think a "budget suite" in space would be used for?
You bring up an interesting point.... Does the FDA have juristiction in Space? I wonder how pot would grow in 0G.
I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.
If Dennis Tito is an example of almost a flawless human specimen, I'll join another race...
there are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots
Yeah but how often can you say that the sex was so good you felt like you were floating. Also find a wall to brace yourselves on, or push against...
Then you can tell your friends, In space, I could hear her scream....
Rehab is for quitters...
"It takes many nails to build a crib, but one screw to fill it."
NASA also has to be concerned about the safety of the other missions. If a mission fails, and people are killed (which is probably more likely than mere injury), that can cause a very serious backlash against the space industry in general.
"But is it safe?"
"We need to make sure none of our boys/girls will get hurt."
"Let's wait a few years and re-evaluate our current safety precautions/proceedures."
And so on. You can imagine how much NASA would like to continue with their current plans of action, and not have to fend off safety concerns from the general public, people who historically have never understood these kinds of complex issues. All they know is that "something bad" happened and "how are we going to stop it from happening again."
If the mission fails, there will be significant political/public opinion setbacks for NASA. They're worried, and rightfully so.
Launching from the US or, more likely, by a US launch company from somewhere else is smart because once through all the hurdles the whole operation will have credibility. But getting there? I don't see it...
Ok, so NASA's ever-shrinking space station is a joke (I can't believe it was 1990 when I interviewed to work on a project for it - then only 'a year or two from launch'), but the technical hurdles are real. Sure NASA operates under tighter restrictions than private enterprise (don't take risks that could kill anyone, don't fire anyone), but they have some smart people.
Wish I was there - but I went back to computer programming when I admitted reality...
---- westside.com - build a database web site in minutes
I don't know how good I feel about the owner of a chain named "Budget Suites" attempting to put up a quick space station... The mental image I get in my head is 3 GIANT soda cans linked together with twine floating around the earth. =)
Humorless sig goes here.
I'm talking about the Internet. I feel that the analogy is or will be paralleled with space occupancy. We've set the foundation and I expect the life/business/education needs to require space habitation as a normal way of life.
I predict by 2010 (no special reason for that year), the first regular families will be aboard a space station as workers in research and specialized manufacturing businesses will consider that home. No sense NOT living close to work and being close to your family.
Why do you need a pool. Can't you just float around the capsule? It would be just like swimming.
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
That's why when selling Disney Land packages in Detroit they must always come with cheap airfare.
The Russians are going to beat us up there. Our government just doesn't understand the free market like they do in Moscow.
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
You'd have better results with a concentrated halucinate like Acid, 100 hits on a 20 gram blotter paper.
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
"The papers and forms don't exist for an application like this."
Umm the FAA dosn't own space. Just go.
(I am sure europe would be interested to know the american government seems to think it owns everything around the earth)
==>Lazn
Will they leave the light on for me there too?
credo quia absurdum
Robert Bigelow, who made his fortune as owner of Budget Suites of America, said he anticipates that his Bigelow Aerospace division will be able to launch a full-size space station module into orbit within 30 months.
It would take three such modules linked together to create a space station the size of the current International Space Station, he said.
Great. Instead of roaches in your room now you get little alien bugs.
At least in space no one will complain about their bed being too soft.
-S
--- What parts of "shall make no law", "shall not be infringed", and "shall not be violated" don't you understand?
Bigelow said the private space station would be a destination for space tourists and could be used by drug firms.....
Sounds like a perfect holiday location....Nothing for miles except fellow tourists and drugs. But hang on, when you're already floating around and are totally spaced out...who needs drugs?
perl -e 'print $i=pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10);'
There was a pretty cool Hilton(?) commercial several years ago which painted a very romantacized version of a high class hotel in space. Other than they view, though, what the heck is there to do/see?
-- .sig are belong to us!
All your
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
In case I want to join the 100 mile high club (along with a few cosmonauts, a few married couples and few astronauts that swing both ways, buthey, what else are you going to do stuck in space for 300 days.).
Because he wants it to be convenient and viable and open to Americans. I'm much more likely to spend money and risk my life on a space ship that has been okay'd by American regulatory agencies, rather than okay'd by some Vegas tycoon's wallet. Furthermore, why would I want to have to get a passport and visa to fly for ten or fifteen hours before I can go into space.
This isn't just about Earth-to-Space tourism. It's about opening up space travel for the masses. One of the major points of using space for travel is that it reduces intercontinental travel times -- Washington to Tokyo in less than four hours. If you only have one launch point and it's in Africa, it isn't going to be viable.
--brian
Now let's see how many chicks I can get to join the 100 mile high club!
In all seriousness, in light of that, why is Bigallow even bothering with the FAA? Why doesn't he go lease some small island and work with the Russian or Chinese space program or the up and coming Austrelian Space PRogram to get resources and transportation needed to construct his space station. After all, what yould the US government do? threaten to blow it out of the sky? Somehow I don't think the public would take to that vary well. As it is, I can Garuntee that if he gets the license he's seeking, one of the provisions of the deal will be that the space station will be governed by US law. Probably not the most ideal if youwant to rent out Lab space to pharmicutical companies...
--CTH
--Got Lists? | Top 95 Star Wars Line
I wonder if they will have a swimming pool. That would be odd in zero G. a big sphere of water hovering in the middle of the room.
As x approaches total apathy I couldn't care less.
We have had many similar slashdot story in the past about privat persons and firms that want to do comercial spaceflights, hotels etc.
But lets face it, this all is just hot air, there isn't anything behind it. Even very rich people like daydreaming, then something like this appears in the news.
Jan
They should really get together sometime. Between the two they'll have a 50 million dollar station ready to go in 6 months.
--------------------------------------
No sig for you.
"The tribe has spoken. You will be required to leave the space station immediately."
Ouch.
Yes they have achieved a lot when it comes to technology and exploration of space, but for how long can they keep it up? The space station was proposed as an american-only project by Reagan, back in 1984 as a reply to Soviet MIR. It was delayed and delayed again, while the budget was steadily growing. Finally they had to bring in a lot of other countries, and the budget was still growing and the station was still delayed... while it wasn't getting any bigger.
In the future, the only reason to pump in money in space industry, will be if you actually get something BACK from it. Private projects and enterprises have the future in space. They have plans on commercial low orbit space stations and hotels, moon bases, moon orbiters, Penn State are working on a container to keep anti matter... Governments will stay in the near space, but companies are the ones who will take us further out.
Yeah I know, I've said this a few times now...
This was revealed to be false several days later here on slashdot
I doubt If I see it in my lifetime...
This is getting interesting. It can take quite some years, but if you compare spaceflight with internet this comparison comes up: scientists build a fundation of the technology and once the basics are working and commercial companys step in, things will go faster.
I just hope that these companies are seeing a general interest in the technology. I would hate to see one company to monopolize space technology.
---
Privacy is terrorism.
Perhaps the trick is to establish residency in another country, such as the Principality of Sealand? What about countries who aren't members of this treaty? Are they free from the treaty or repressed by it?
I've been pondering this article for a while, and I'm pretty certain that its a hoax. Could the wealth of a huge motel chain put people in space? I'm sure this guy is rich, but there are richer people who arn't doing this!
This is, however, getting "Budget Suites" mentioned all over the news, and portrayed as being modern, with it, cool, etc. Nice...
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___
The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason. --Ben Franklin
I stayed at the budget suites in Las Vegas (they have several there, I was at the "Rancho" one) and it was horrible. The maid comes once a week if you get the weekly rate. Since I was there for seven days, I got my sheets changed ONCE. After our second day there they ran out of towels and just kept saying "were waiting on the laundry service". I was there with a decent sized group (for a paintball tournament) and several people outright lost their reservations for no good reason. Though they had previously promised that we could park a 20 ft trailer there, that turned out to be false. While I was trying to talk to the dumb inbred whitetrash bitch at the front desk, she took a call from her mom and started arguing with her about gambling debts. It was incredible!
[end rant]
Anyway, if they new "space hotel" is of enven remotely simmilar quality as their earth hotels, I won't be going anywhere near there!
-
___
The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason. --Ben Franklin
... Bigelow (may I call you Deuce?), NASA views space as a monopoly? And that's why they resisted to Tito's entering space? I doubt that. They probably resisted to Tito's space journey due to the fact Tito is untrained as an astronaut and could have caused catastrophic damage to the space shuttle, possibly killing the crew, even unintentionally. They wouldn't let anyone else go up, so why make an exception for someone with money?
Also, how safe would this thing be with no space oriented engineers working on it? Would it be redundant like a NASA or Russian Space Program creation? I wouldn't want to visit a flying deathtrap. And, given the right mistakes, that's what this thing would be. It'd make MIR in its final years look like a resort.
I hope that if this guy gets to go through with this that he at least uses some engineers with the proper training (NASA engineers that have lost their job, perhaps?) Otherwise, he could cause the death of hundreds of people. I wouldn't visit it if there's such a thing as a "CAPTAIN'S ESCAPE POD" in the blueprints...
Do you like German cars?
... That wasn't flamebait.
Tito wasn't at the time, and NASA didn't seem to want to take the time to train him, even if he paid. Maybe they had other reasons...
It wasn't toward Tito, but rather toward the guy who made such a statement toward NASA.
Sorry if you thought it was flamebait, it wasn't intended that way. Later!
Do you like German cars?
At the end of the day, you're tired from space walking everywhere with the kids, the long ride in the station wagon shuttle on the way to Grandma's house on the moon, all you really want is some rest, clean atmosphere and a vaccuum you can pee into. Here at Space Station Six, we beleive in amenities like artifical gravity, free space suits for the kids and a complementary freeze dried continental breakfast.
So come on down to Space Station 6 next time you're trekking across the cosmos. We'll leave the landing light on for you.
Hey freaks: now you're ju
There is a difference between announcing something, and actually doing it.
I wonder where he is going to get the launchers for the station modules?
- Assuming the graphic here
is the proposed hotel, and assuming the modules are ISS sized, I figure
six to eight launches.
- If the money he mentions is for developing launchers, that won't leave
much over for the station. I doubt the money is for launcher development,
because his statement is for the money to be spread over the next 15 years.
Launcher development alone for ones in the class he'll need will be well
in excess of $150 mill. (And there is little call commercially for launchers
in that class.)
- If he plans to buy the launches, then his budget is going to be
eaten pretty rapidly by the associated costs.
Construction is going to be the next problem;- When does it reach man tended capability? (Or does he plan on autonomous
operations unless tourists are at the station? Not a bad idea, but there
are some practical problems to be overcome.)
- Given that none of the modules appear lie 'in line' with each other, automated
docking is going to be difficult.
The last holes all revolve around the same fact: No suitable manned transport is currently nor in the near term available. Rotary is dead, and the X-Van is nothing but viewgraphs. I find it unlikely that anyone will finace the development of a suitable vehicle simply because the station has been proposed.- How do construction, maintenance and operational personel reach the station?
- How do the passengers reach the station?
- How are supplies and waste handled?
These are big, serious questions, and handwaving won't make them go away. Let's see what happens when the serious space media starts investigating. (Space.Com isn't really reliable or serious, they are USA Today or People, cheap, fast, flashy, fluff.)Now the show Big Brother can go from being in a house to being in a hotel...in outer space. They could also put a Survivor spin on the show to attract more ratings.
"If it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet"
the months of rigorous training astronauts go through before they go into space. I think this is misleading because it implies any Tom, Dick or Harry can go into space. Not only will you have to be rich, but you will have almost a flawless human specimen to be able to up.
about taking a hooker to a motel, but... hey, ya only live once :)
(i wonder what the g's would do to her bewbz)
-- "It's tough to run with both feet stuck in your mouth" - Zoe's evil side
Crazy, but cool. Really the first thing they'll have to do is make the name more appealing - I don't think that too many people would be willing to orbit the world in a "Budget Suites" Tin Can... well, maybe I would.
In all honesty, something like this would be incredible if it could succeed, but the biggest problem I can see even in 30 months is the fact that it is still not a simple task to get a person up in space. Astronauts still have to go through training to get through the launch, let alone the occasional retired astronaut or rich American billionaire. The hotel may be up and running, but without an easier way to get people there, won't you eliminate a lot of your clientelle simply because they are not in the requisite physical shape to make the journey?
It takes dedication to go through weeks of training just to go for a weekend (as well as a few hundred thousand a head to blow in transportation costs (but that's another post for another person))
- Relativistic? That's barely Newtonian!
Sweet! Not quite as cool as a dome on the moon or something, but still pretty interesting. And maybe the vacuum of space will help keep noises in the room across the ship from yours inaudible.
But wait, how will I check my e-mail?
spacefem.com
ok the real question is how long till the adult industry starts exploring space. They seem to be the first in every other field and successful at that!!! Bring on the space hookers
***I GOT NUTHIN***
Even though i know this will not happen...wouldn't it be strange if they had a smoking area...instead of smoke rings you would just get smoke orbs.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
The station's viability also depends on developing a commercially practical way of transporting space tourists. Bigelow's company is not involved in that effort, but other companies are.
This sounds like an advertising stunt to me; eventually, they will be told "no" by someone, or they will get everything ready and be "waiting for transportation to become available"...in the meantime, cheap advertising for the real hotels down here.
--MarkusQ
The governments of the world can only project the space program so far because it is unprofitable. If someone can successfully create a profit in space, it will result in more interest in the project and thus, more private funds. The space race of the people and for the people is on.
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Just because a bunch of people believe or do something stupid, doesn't make it any less stupid.
There was an excellent book written by John Barnes and Buzz Aldrin, called Encounter with Tiber. It was, in large part, a platform for Barnes and Aldrin to present methods in which today's technology could take people into orbit relatively inexpensively. I'm excited to see if Bigelow's space station comes to pass, because it might finally give commercial entities a reason to research and construct some decent ground-to-orbit ships.