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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.
$4 million is just the room charge.
Transportation is extra.
You don't want to know what delivery costs for the pizza.
If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.
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.
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
I bet Chinese food will be quite economical by that time.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
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.
It's obvious: put the mints underneath the pillows. How they then stop the pillows from floating off the mints is another matter entirely...
Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
Worse than that, none of the electrical sockets are compatible. Its worse than travelling to Europe.
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beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his mind he dreams himself your master
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...
DJ Ruby Rhod!