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Space Hotel to Open in 2012
blackdefiance writes "The New York Times is reporting that firm plans for the first hotel in space are now in the works. Slated for a 2012 opening, 'Galactic Suite' will cost about $4 million for a three-day stay. 'They may have solved the issue of how to take a shower in weightlessness -- the guests will enter a spa room in which bubbles of water will float around. When guests are not admiring the view from their portholes they will take part in scientific experiments on space travel. Galactic Suite began as a hobby for former aerospace engineer Claramunt, until a space enthusiast decided to make the science fiction fantasy a reality by fronting most of the $3 billion needed to build the hotel. An American company intent on colonizing Mars, which sees Galaxy Suite as a first step, has since come on board, and private investors from Japan, the United States and the United Arab Emirates are in talks.'"
The new space hotel sounds great, but a flight to space conflicts with the part of my schedule where I'm slated to die during the apocalypse.
Its about time some private people and companies start taking a major interest in space.
...to someone who uses the phrase 'shuttle rocket'
Did he design this station on his PC computer?
This is how we keep the economy afloat.
How are they going to get people on and off the station?
My first thought was Dragon, but according to the SpaceX website the price for even the cheapest Falcon9 to LEO is 35 million, with a suggested price of 4 million for a three day stay and the Dragon capsule being capable of carrying 7 people this can't possibly be profitable (or even close to break even).
Anyone know what launch vehicle they're planning to use?
Despite being a pretty hardcore private space proponent, I'm rather skeptical about this. I could be wrong, but it seems that all Claramunt has is a design and backing from an anonymous funding source. Meanwhile, Bigelow Aerospace has a couple of working prototypes in orbit right now, and by 2012 plans to lease entire orbital facilities for $88 million/year (or $18 million for an 2-month stay).
Also, I'm guessing the cited figure of "$4 million for a three-day stay" doesn't include the cost of getting to orbit in the first place. For a Soyuz flight, that's at least $20 million per person.
Just because they don't have a practical idea doesn't mean they can't rip off investors.
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"Fly me to the moon" is just the headline of the story and the name of a song; it does not, in fact, have anything to do with the location of the hotel. The hotel would probably be built in low earth orbit.
Ewige Blumenkraft.
Even with all that money paid, they still have to get stuck on a 3 hour layover on the MIR! What a ripoff!
"Thank you for using Stop-n-Drop, America's favorite suicide booth since 2008"
Do they have valet parking?
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I mean, the reporter takes their word for it when they say some American who they can't name is giving them $3 billion. I figure I could got to the same reporter and say someone is giving me a couple billion to build the world's biggest saussage and it will make the headlines the next day.
Not sure how much competition to Bigelow they really are, and I also have doubts about their $3 billion funding figure. I think we need more proof than their word.
Bigelow has: - A manufacturing plans currently building the modules for its stations - A corporate structure - Two test modules currently in space - A concrete business plan - More than 100 employees
Galactic Suite has: - A Web site with nice illustrations. Though its strange title font looks like it was done in Microsoft Paint.
This seems like little more than a nice Web site and fancy illustrations. Galactic Suite also seems to indicate it would use the Space Shuttle for construction, which would be news to NASA, which plans to put the orbiters in the Smithsonian by 2010.
Seems like more vaporware to me. I'd rather put my money on Bigelow to build the first private space station.
Bigelow put up some cool, REAL pictures from space on this page: http://bigelowaerospace.com/out_there/view_photos. php.
3 megabucks per passenger would not pay for it even if they had the lift and an orbiting facility. Gosh, 2012? It is going to take longer just to figure out cheaper launch vehicles. Also the first time a rich "astro-tourist" gets killed (1st or 2nd flight), the whole operation sinks.
-- Posted from my parent's basement
How will they keep the mints from floating off the pillows?
You forget that the majority of present day space vehicles are in fact built by private sector companies: Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Arianne, Energia and so on. NASA doesn't have factories.
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
Okay, I could imagine that *maybe* there are people willing to pay that much to stay in a space hotel. The problem is, what good is having a luxury space hotel suite if you can't hire strippers to dance in it, much less drink champagne in your hot tub with them. Face it folks, besides watching all your friends vomit, weightlessness is no fun.
There, fixed it for ya...
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
Keep in mind that most of the $1.8 billion annual cost of the ISS is spent on space shuttle flight operations. Of course, since the space shuttle is used almost exclusively for the ISS, a good part of the $4 billion a year it costs to keep the shuttles running should probably be added to that as well. In any case, NASA's ISS spending figure isn't a good indicator of how much it would cost to run a for-profit orbital habitat.
What a way to spend money!
:)
Earn in Earth.Spend in Space !!
(c)
Wincopy
If you're only going to be there for three days, why even bother taking a shower at all?
yeah right 2012;
well i'd like to book a room please, with a fast internet connection so i can go online with duke nukem forever.
This just in!:
LOLOLOLLLOLOLOLOLL!L!1!1!1!1one1!1!11
Do they offer free wifi service? =/...
How are they going to stop those bibles floating away? hmm?
Long term colonization on Mars is impossible without major terraforming, and we are no where near able to do that. http://www.philforhumanity.com/Terraforming_Mars.h tml
This is just like the news stories that 'predict' that we will all have walking robots in our homes in a years time.
You get a username/password dialog box. WTF?
games journalism blog
I, for one, welcome our new Vermicious Knid overlords.
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
Eight weeks of training at a james bond style camp on a tropical island.
and while up in space for three days...
During that time guests would see the sun rise 15 times a day...
costing $4 million for a three-day stay.
and then there is a bill correction afterward..
15 sunrises a day for three days = 45 sunrises.
I'm sorry sir, according to our corrected calculations you were up there for more than 3 days...
45 days to be correct.
At 4 million per three days that comes to $60 million dollars.
here is you after bill of $56 million.
Now its beginning to make financial since...
This small step will help open the flood gates similar to when ships set sail in the maritime revolution, and bars and inns sprang up in new ports all over the world.
We talk about this and how ROBOTS will soon be doing ALL our work ushering in what we call
The Age of Recreation via the Emancipation of Humanity from the Machinery of Economy via the "ROBOTIC WAGELESS ECONOMY"
read more here: http://teaminfinity.com/ROBO_SPACE_HOTEL
We need your help to make it happen in our lifetimes... Talk it up, spread the great news/memes
The Future is already here, just unevenly distributed... THE ROBOTIC WAGELESS ECONOMY NOW! http://RoboEco.com/slash
DJ Ruby Rhod!
Will I be able to ride my hoverboard there?
Saying your "phone ran out of batteries" is like saying your "car ran out of gas tanks".
It's very cold to shower in space.
They are putting up a hotel, not putting up a building. Almost certainly, it will use the bigelow modules. Roughly, Bob Bigelow is selling westerners who can actually buy the modules what to use these for. Bob will also have 1 hotel up there, but would like to see some competition up there. If more groups announce that they are building hotels up there AND on the moon, then private enterprise will rush in to fill the void. As I said on another posting, I believe that private enterprise will be on the moon by 2015.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Large number of folks back in the 60's believed that we would never survive a landing on the moon. Many of them believed that it was 10' of dust. So a number of common folks who fancied themselves as experts were announcing that we could not land on the moon. After we did, then they said that it must have been a trick. I am guessing that long after we have started a colony on mars, ppl like you will declare that it was all a trick.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Here is a suggestion. Since this is creating lots of jobs (with many more to come), you could get rich off of this AND do the colonizing of the gobi.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Sheesh, where's PriceLine when you need it?
Timewavers and Tzolkiners can breathe a sigh of relief as this clearly signals a major transition for the human race from merely exploring outer-space to actually living in it. This will be the moment our planet leaves the starting gate. Not the end, but instead the beginning of a new world... The line goes flat because it's just a small section the greater whole. The count ends because the next phase is beginning.
So, is there a reason this has not been tagged getyourasstomars yet?
Colonizing Mars will lead to Hell on Earth!
I assume there are a few members already
I'll believe that when they get the first pieces of equipment up there. In the mean
time, I'll chalk that time up to the usual corporate smoke blowing.
I think this is one of the first steps for a human presence in space. In many ways it follows how international airflight became economical. With that said, there are a couple of issues.
Firstly, unlike international flights, there is no ultimate functional destination (yet). The only reason to be there currently is because you have money to waste. Other business ventures need to be set up to create a supportable ecosystem. Two other businesses that may be sensible would be: research, though getting the government grants to do so would be difficult, so the research would have to have some economical return; and possible mining on the moon (hydrogen).
Longer term, I think it is worthwhile of thinking of the universe being a very large tappable energy source. Large enough to be considered infinite for now. The big issues with this are: (1) how difficult is a particular resource to harvest, (2) how long will it take, (3) can it converted to energy easily, or must it be transferred first to be processed. The last point is important, because the harvesting shuttles themselves could in theory power themselves on these resources. This could extend their distance and speed.
Secondly, zero-g living will only be fun for so long. You can already experience it without going up. While (AFAIK) we still don't have any anti-gravity engines, it is still possible to simulate gravity using centripetal force. Unfortunately, if I remember correctly, this requires a rather large ring rotating at a decent velocity. This will also solve the issue of the toliets.
I'd hate to see how much they charge for the in-room bar...
Hotel Employee: "Hello and welcome to the Space Hotel, are you checking in?" ...
Guest: "Yes, name is Wilson"
Employee: "Ok great, let me find you on the computer, this will just take a second {clickity clickity clack clack click clack...)"
Employee: "Hmmm, and your reservation was for today?"
Guest: "Yes"
Employee: "Ok, hold on, (click clack clickity click...)"
Employee: "Hm. Uh, how do you spell Wilson?"
Guest: "W I L S O N"
Employee: "Yes, that's what I was trying, but I just don't see it. Do you have your confirmation code?"
Guest: "Sure, let me dig through some stuff and get it...ok, it's 178QXT534"
Employee: "Great, let me bring that up...(click click click clickity clack clack click...)"
Employee: "I'm not finding that either, are you sure that's the code?"
Guest: "Yes, I printed this off your website before I left, see"
Employee: "Yes that's the code, but it just doesn't seem to be in our system. I'm sorry sir."
Guest: "So what do we do?"
Employee: "Well we are completely booked up, unless you have a reservation I can't give you a room."
Guest: "But...I just flew 20,000 miles...FROM EARTH...THERE IS NO WHERE ELSE TO STAY!"
Employee: "I can probably sneak you in next week, IF you are willing to take the smoking room junior suite with 2 doubles instead of a queen. This room does not have a wet bar, but under the conditions, I would recommend taking it."
Can we PLEASE spend some of the money we are currently wasting in Iraq on something like this?
I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
We need artificial gravity, dammit!
If you believe in privacy, and believe you have "nothing to hide" at the same time, you're a goddammed idiot
....what to do about the vermicious knids?
Move along, nothing to see here people. Blarg.
Yes you did, it is all your fault, they will thank you tomorrow, I will thank you today for something that pricked my curiosity.
Yes, I am human; Therefor, my curiosity may get me in to unknown situations sometimes,
and fycked at other times (some sort of possibly pleasurable quantum effect), but it
will never intentionally get me killed or stuck in a wall.
Unaccountable leaders are masters, and unrepresented people are slaves. How do US and EU fare?
This NY Times article came from Reuters.0 89156420070810?pageNumber=2&sp=true
Here is the original article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1
No registration required to see this.
There is a fine line between recklessness and courage... -- Paul McCartney
"The package includes shuttle trips to and fro plus an 18-week training program on a Caribbean island. Details surrounding certain creature comforts and necessities are still being ironed out."
Great Deal
I mean come on what was vegas... a big boring desert now look at it
we need a casino resort on the moon... (or just floating in orbit.. whatever)
although working there would kinda suck.. but whatever
----------
Trying to fix or change something only guarantees and perpetuates it's existence
For Vegas a large number of people were needed. Even if the initial costs go down, only a very small number of people can afford it. Which is fine, as I'm assuming they're not building it very large. But the problem is that there isn't going to be much to do when you are up there. It's an experience, but not a destination. I doubt too many people will return for another time to watch the earth go by.
So, yes, a casino, restaurant, and bar will be needed. But those won't really be possible until some gravity can be established. Not just because zero-g makes everything very difficult (which is a large enough reason), but also for health reasons (like loss of bone-mass issues).
We have high death tolls and squalid conditions in developing nations, yet American billionaires have their heads so far up their asses that they'd rather piss about their wealth on an esoteric toy of value to a statistically negligible number of people. Sad.
b
myselfmusic
i beg your pardon? outer space belongs to all earth people. it is not to be bought by Saudis or Japanese or anyone else. the resources are for all mankind, not for personal profit.
2012? Shit, they'll be using some other kind of calendar by then, we don't need to go any further.
You can object as much as you want. This is 21 century, people are greedy. It is like the conquest of America, the only difference is that there are no natives to exterminate. The first one to get there the first one to profit from it. Space is up for grabs, and the private business got their money on it.
Has anybody else noticed that the figures don't add up? The article says the hotel will go around the world in 80 minutes and guests will see 15 sunrises a day. 15 times 80 minutes = 20 hours.
Also, orbiting in 80 minutes is physically impossible for any object orbiting that freely orbits the earth under gravity. Even if something could somehow orbit at surface level without encountering atmospheric drag, it would take 84 minutes. In principle you could maintain an 80 minute orbit by continuously using thrusters to push a satellite toward the earth, but that would surely be prohibitively expensive.
I suspect that the figure of 15 sunrises per day is really based on the intended orbit (reasonable for low earth orbit) and the figure of 80 minutes is a lie that was spread because it sounded catchy.
The numbers may not add up, but you are forgetting that the sunrise doesn't just happen at one spot on the Earth. While they are orbiting the earth the sunrise will move 16 minutes infront of its previous position. This will give a total time of 96 minutes between sunrises, AKA 15 a day. (Actually anything close or a little less that and you'll still only see 15 a day with a little extrat "day time")