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Inflatable Private Space Station Launched
Anonymous_Space_Ranger writes "CNN is reporting that the first steps to have a private space station are underway in Russia. While today's launch is unmanned, it is designed to orbit the planet for 5 years while the durability of the design is tested and future flights are planned around it." From the article: "[Robert] Bigelow envisions building a private orbiting space complex by 2015 that would be made up of several expandable Genesis-like modules linked together and could be used as a hotel, or perhaps a science lab or college. He has committed $500 million toward the project."
About 2.5 hours from now, the module will phone home and we will get a better sense of how the module is doing. Here are some additional resources...
i s-1_launch.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5173388.stm
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/060712_genes
http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigelow_Aerospace
At those speeds, debris punches holes in metal just as easily.
Platform advocacy is like choosing a favorite severely developmentally disabled child.
The Russians just launched my girlfriend into space!
I'll form my OWN solar system! With blackjack! And hookers!
Your opinion makes sense to me, on account of:
/.er always trumps the opinion of people studying a problem as part of a business plan to profit from successfully solving the problem.
1) All inflatable structures are essentially thin-walled latex balloons that will pop under the slightest stress.
2) Rigid structures in orbit are constantly stricken by space junk, but do not fail because of their thick armor plating.
3) Nobody is tracking the larger space junk.
4) Nobody has ever conducted experiments to learn more about the specific risk posed by the smaller space junk, meteoroids, etc.
5) And, of course, because the opinion of a random
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
You can find more technical details about the launch on the space fellowship: http://www.spacefellowship.com/News/?p=1614
We can expect video's and pictures, of the "living" annimals etc!
"Wait a minute. Space debris! *slap* Guys, hold off on that idea - you have to read this slashdot post first!"
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"
- Charles Darwin