Russian Rocket Launches Inflatable Satalite

[Voidless_Shadows 0]

An experimental inflatable spacecraft that blasted into space on Wednesday has successfully expanded.

 

Bigelow Aerospace, the commercial firm behind the Genesis 1 module, confirmed that the ship was in orbit and was beaming pictures back to Earth.

 

"All systems are operating within expected parameters," the company founder, hotel tycoon Robert Bigelow, said in a statement.

 

The water-melon shaped craft could form the basis of a future space hotel.

 

The craft will remain in orbit for the next five years while engineers test the durability of the design.

 

One of the key tests for the craft is whether it can maintain a constant temperature and pressure, suitable to support life, inside the inflatable hull.

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That's cool, it's apparently not the first time it's been done, NASA built a inflatable satalite too.

This design is better for two main reasons:

1. I takes up less space on launch vehicle

2. Leaves less space debris

It's cool how this material, which is essentially no more than a plastic polymer can withstand the pressures and temerature extremes of space, it's also very durable and puncture resistant. So no, it's not very likely it'll pop and end up on Mars

[rvalkass 5]

Even if it did eventually spark designs for inflatable space hotels, I certainly wouldn't feel safe in the massive empty void of space in nothing more protective than a beach ball A space craft made from metal and other generally strong materials seems a lot safer to me. Then again, if people went up and survived there with no problems then I'd gain more confidence.Also, I have a feeling it would be a lot harder to switch hotels if you weren't satisfied with your room

[Madkat-Z 0]

What will they think of next. The thing that worries me is that its "puncture resistant". Thing in space travel pretty fast, even something as small as a pebble could be going at an extreamly fast rate of speed that we whould never be able to achive on Earth, because of no friction or gravity to slow it down. What would happen if you did get a hole in the satalite? I'm not saying that the design can't be improved apon but I think I would rather have it be puncture proof instead of resistant, before I would plan on spending a night in one of those.

Edited July 14, 2006 by Madkat-Z (see edit history)