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Russian Sub Launches European Inflatable Space Vehicle

Posted by michael on from the man-overboard dept.

QueueEhGuy writes "From the 'Red Planet' meets 'Hunt for Red October' department: CNN is reporting in this article that the Russian navy launched an inflatable space reentry vehicle atop a standard ICBM. Although this one was evidently only 2.5 ft in diameter, they evidently plan on making larger versions to act as life rafts or carrier pigeons from space back to Earth. Apparently, neither Val Kilmer or Sean Connery were involved in the test."

11 of 36 comments (clear)

  1. I certainly hope... by tswinzig · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...that we launched our nukes in retaliation.

    --

    "And like that ... he's gone."
  2. Russia's on to something .... by acasto · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think Russia may very well have a wonderful future ahead of her in the space industry. They explore the idea of 'space tourists' instead of smuggly rejecting it, thus opening up channels that never exsisted before. Even in economical troubles, they still work to keep it going. I look forward to watching our neighbor on the other side of world progress and see how far they can reach.

    1. Re:Russia's on to something .... by foniksonik · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I agree.

      It's amazing how people from different backgrounds can get along just fine and do amazing things together when your throw the politics out the window.

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
  3. IRDT by c.emmertfoster · · Score: 5, Informative

    The technology for this was originally developed by the Russian Mars program: "Inflatable Rentry and Descent Technology" is a nifty replacement for parachutes, IMHO.

    The russians have done this before, though not from a submarine succesfully until now :)

    --
    We can neither love nor pity nor forgive. If you make a slip in handling us you die!
  4. Inflatable Technology by LastToKnow · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...at Sluggy Freelance

  5. inflatable space station by g4dget · · Score: 4, Interesting
    In fact, inflatable structures could be great for all sorts of space applications. In the absence of gravity or wind, you really don't need much in the way of structural support. Inflatable structures can give you a huge volume with very little weight. And, yes, they can be made safe against puncture by space debris--probably safer than rigid structures.

    Unfortunately, even though an inflatable module was considered for the ISS, it was not built. Pretty much all our space engineering seems to be done in terms of big, heavy, metal structures.

    Interest seems to be picking up, though. There has been a workshop at ESA recently.

  6. I FOUND IT... by wo1verin3 · · Score: 2, Funny

    You can bid on the lost russian inflatable spacecraft by clicking here.

  7. The Runway problem... by cnelzie · · Score: 2, Funny


    Send a number of robotic contruction drones to the surface of Mars. Send them with BASIC construction materials and have them get the rest of the materials on the Martian surface. I am certain that some materials (Other than the limestone) could be found on the surface to make a concrete material.

    These drones could spend 24 hours a day completing the landing strip. Then send the first team of "colonists" to Mars. They could oversee the construction of a launching platform and fuel refinery systems.

    After that, a few more construction crews can be sent to Mars to build more suitable permanent habitats and regular colonists could arrive later. The kind that have scientific knowledge and know-how for making life on Mars work.

    After 50 or so years, then regular tourists and corporations can setup offices on Mars. Then another 50 or so years later, we can have that Mars-Terra conflict that is always talked about in science fiction novels.

    That would be fun...

    -.-

    --
    If you ignore the other uses of a tool, does that make the tool less useful, or you less useful?
  8. Re:BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by jandrese · · Score: 2

    Since we aren't even ready to visit planets in our own solar system, I don't see what the big hurry in finding extrasolar terrestrial planets is. Even if we found an Earthlike planet in the Alpha Centauri system, it's not like we'd be ready to even start sending a spacecraft there in the next several decades.

    By contrast, the space tourism industry could revitalize the entire space industry (that has been slowly squeezed of funding for years).

    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
  9. Re:BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by p3d0 · · Score: 2
    It's a resource allocation issue: We should not be sending tourists up temporarily when we know of nowhere perminant for them to go.
    Yebbut sending rich tourists into space makes money, so your premise of competing resources is false.
    --
    Patrick Doyle
    I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
  10. Re:BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by p3d0 · · Score: 2
    I don't understand your logic. From where I sit, if they pay $1 more than the cost of their launch, then they have made the space agency $1 they wouldn't otherwise have had. That's a good thing.

    Maybe you are thinking that such missions draw engineers away from productive missions, but I don't think there's a shortage of smart engineers who want to work for the space program. Some engineers can go and make $1 for the space program, and others can continue to do the kinds of work you want them to do, as though the space tourists didn't exist.

    --
    Patrick Doyle
    I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....