The International Space Station is getting an inflatable spare room.

The first-of-its-kind habitat built by Bigelow Aerospace LLC weighs 3,000 pounds and is made of a Kevlar-like material to withstand space debris and radiation. It looks more like a giant propane gas tank than a kids moon bounce and will be attached to a port on the space station.

It will rocket into space in 2015 with the blessing of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which last week awarded the firm a $17.8 million contract to demonstrate the technology. Eventually, Las Vegas hotelier Robert Bigelow wants to build separate stations that might be used as research laboratories orbiting Earth or to establish a permanent presence on the moon or Mars.

Ultimately, hes hoping to build hotels in low-earth orbit and have that be one of the up-and-coming space businesses -- this will give him more credibility, said Marco Caceres, a senior space analyst with Teal Group Corp. in Fairfax, Virginia. Theres a lot of people out there that say, Oh cmon, hotels in low-earth orbit -- thats a fantasy right? I believe he has the tools to do it.

The challenge will be finding customers, Caceres said in a phone interview. Bigelows primary focus is on corporations and governments interested in developing astronaut programs or doing research. Space tourism is secondary, and the company has tried to steer away from the space hotel label.

NASAs willingness to back the mission is a seal of approval, the company has said.

We look at this as a stepping stone with expandable technologies, Robert Bigelow, 68, said today during a press conference at his companys headquarters, about 10 miles north of the Las Vegas strip. We have ambitions to go to the moon someday.

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver echoed Bigelows enthusiasm for the project.

Its really our first commercial real estate in space, Garver said.

Bigelow plans to introduce a stand-alone station that can accommodate as many as 12 people by 2016, the company said. A flight to the planned Alpha Station would cost from $26.3 million to $36.8 million for a 60-day stay, depending on the taxi selected, according to the firm.

The rest is here:

NASA Goes Ikea to Test Inflatable Annex for Space Station

The international space station is getting a new, inflatable room that resembles a giant spare tire, NASA is set to announce Wednesday.

Slated to launch in 2015, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, will fly to space deflated before being puffed into a 13-by-10-foot cylinder.

Rather than providing new living space for astronauts, the module will test whether inflatable habitats have a future as orbiting laboratories, lunar outposts or living quarters for deep-space missions.

And its arriving at a bargain price: NASA is paying Bigelow Aerospace of Nevada $17.8million for the module.

This is a great way for NASA to utilize private-sector investment, and for pennies on the dollar expand our understanding of this technology, said Lori Garver, the agencys deputy administrator.

Station astronauts will periodically enter the BEAM to check whether its thick yet flexible walls, which include layers of Kevlar, adequately block the twin hazards of space travel: radiation and micrometeorites traveling faster than bullets.

The plan is to have the hatch closed most of the time, with the crew going in and out a few times a year to collect data, Garver said. The module will stay attached to the station for up to two years.

Astronauts on long missions will need more room than afforded by the traditional aluminum-can-like modules of the space station, said Michael Gold, director of D.C. operations for Bigelow. Regardless of whether NASA wants to go back to the moon or even to Mars, expandable habitat technology is a virtual necessity, he said.

NASA developed the concept of inflatable habitats in the 1990s for a possible trip to Mars. After abandoning those plans, the agency licensed the idea to real estate and motel magnate Robert Bigelow.

Bigelow has sunk several hundred million dollars into his inflatable space habitats. In 2006 and 2007, his company successfully tested two small inflatable satellites launched by re-purposed Russian ballistic missiles.

Originally posted here:

International space station to receive inflatable module

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A low-cost space dwelling that inflates like a balloon in orbit will be tested aboard the International Space Station, opening the door for commercial leases of future free-flying outposts and deep-space astronaut habitats for NASA.

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, nicknamed BEAM, will be the third orbital prototype developed and flown by privately owned Bigelow Aerospace.

The Las Vegas-based company, founded in 1999 by Budget Suites of America hotel chain owner Robert Bigelow, currently operates two small unmanned experimental habitats called Genesis 1, launched in 2006, and Genesis 2, which followed a year later.

BEAM, about 13 feet long and 10.5 feet in diameter when inflated, is scheduled for launch in mid-2015 aboard a Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon cargo ship, said Mike Gold, director of operations for Bigelow Aerospace.

"It will be the first expandable habitat module ever constructed for human occupancy," Gold said.

A successful test flight on the space station would be a stepping stone for planned Bigelow-staffed orbiting outposts that the company plans to lease to research organizations, businesses and wealthy individuals wishing to vacation in orbit.

Bigelow has invested about $250 million in inflatable habitation modules so far. It has preliminary agreements with seven non-U.S. space and research agencies in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.

"The value to me personally and to our company is doing a project with NASA," Robert Bigelow said. "This is our first opportunity to do that. We do have other ambitions."

NASA, which will pay Bigelow Aerospace $17.8 million for the BEAM habitat, also is interested in the technology to house crew during future expeditions beyond the space station, a $100 billion research complex that flies about 250 miles above Earth.

"Whether you're going to the surface of the moon or even Mars, the benefits of expandable habitats are critical for any exploration mission," Gold said.

See original here:

Balloon-like dwelling to be tested on Int'l Space Station

Space Station beat
Turn your bass up!+best

By: DemonFoxYoko

Read more from the original source:

Space Station beat - Video

A Cool and Candid Look Inside the International Space Station - Hosted by Astronaut Suni Williams
Here is an Interesting Candid tour of the International Space Station. Hosted by NASA astronaut Suni Williams (she #39;s one of the best). Living up 220 miles above the earth for months at a time, she takes you through the different modules to show you how things function in Micro Gravity, toilet and all... 😉 One thing she did not mentioned is... where the drinking water came from... by the way, there #39;s no up #39;s or down #39;s in space. This video is from NASA. No Copyright Infringement Intended. This video is paid for by Tax Dollar so it is Public Domain. All Credits goes to NASA. I only sort out the more interesting video so you do not have to watch other boring one #39;s.

By: MaxxHuey1

Original post:

A Cool and Candid Look Inside the International Space Station - Hosted by Astronaut Suni Williams - Video

Soyuz Rocket Launches New Expedition 33 Crew to Space Station
Soyuz (Russian: #1057; #1086; #1102; #769; #1079;, IPA: [s #592; #712;jus]), Union) is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today. The Soyuz succeeded the Voskhod spacecraft and was originally built as part of the Soviet Manned Lunar programme. The Soyuz spacecraft is launched by the Soyuz rocket, the most frequently used and most reliable Russian launch vehicle to date.[1][2] The Soyuz rocket design is based on the Vostok launcher, which in turn was based on the 8K74 or R-7A Semyorka, a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile. Soyuz spacecraft are launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The first unmanned Soyuz mission was launched November 28, 1966; the first Soyuz mission with a crew (Soyuz 1) was launched April 23, 1967, but the cosmonaut on board, Vladimir Komarov, died during the flight #39;s crash-landing. Soyuz 2 was an unmanned mission, and Soyuz 3, launched on October 26, 1968, was the first successful Soyuz manned mission. The only other fatal mission, Soyuz 11, killed the crew of three also during re-entry due to premature cabin depressurization. Despite these early fatalities, Soyuz is presently widely considered the world #39;s safest, most cost-effective human spaceflight system[3] as demonstrated by its unparalleled length of operational history.

By: ladygagaloves justinbieber

Go here to see the original:

Soyuz Rocket Launches New Expedition 33 Crew to Space Station - Video

Operating droids in space was no obstacle for a German-Italian alliance to reach the finish line of the Zero Robotics tournament. The European winners commanded mini-robots to dodge virtual dust clouds and rendezvous with disabled satellites, all in the weightlessness of the International Space Station.

This year's competition gave over 130 high-school students from across Europe the opportunity to operate droids in space by coding software.

Six alliances made of teams from Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal witnessed how their computer codes worked in the Space Station from ESA's ESTEC space research and technology centre in the Netherlands

The RetroSpheres space game involved two mini-robots racing through a course using the least amount of fuel. During the three-minute programmed dance, the volleyball-sized spheres moved using 12 squirts of compressed gas.

Competitors could collect extra fuel from decommissioned satellites and deorbit the satellites for extra points while navigating through their opponent's dust clouds.

European champions

"It is really special to see what these students have created and get to operate their algorithms in space," said NASA's Kevin Ford on the Station. The astronaut, together with crewmate Tom Marshburn, set up the matches from Japan's Kibo laboratory.

The team with the most fuel left over in the European finals was the BEER alliance - the Brotherhood of Esteemed European Researchers. German and Italian high-school students developed the software that calculated the winning path for their robot in an exciting final game that demonstrated Newton's laws of motion.

Robotic future

Read the original post:

Game on: European student codes reach Space Station

Nasa is set to expand the International Space Station with an inflatable module made by a private company.

Bigelow Aerospace is producing the new module for $17.8 million, which in comparison to most Nasa projects is remarkably cheap.

The exact specification of the module has not been announced, but it is thought to be similar to the BA 330 prototypes which are already orbiting Earth.

It is also expected that SpaceX will help Bigelow to launch the module into space - the two already have a launch scheduled for 2015.

Nasa said:

"The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module will demonstrate the benefits of this space habitat technology for future exploration and commercial space endeavors."

The full details of the expansion will be announced on Wednesday, Nasa said. Images of Bigelow Aerospace's modules on its websites depict a live-work space rather than a science lab, though it is unclear if this will reflect the final design.

"This partnership agreement for the use of expandable habitats represents a step forward in cutting-edge technology that can allow humans to thrive in space safely and affordably, and heralds important progress in U.S. commercial space innovation."

Above: Deputy Administrator Lori Garver of NASA is given a tour of the Bigelow Aerospace facilities by the company's President Robert Bigelow February 4, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Follow this link:

Nasa's Next Space Station Project Is Inflatable

NASA and its international partners have named several future International Space Station expedition crews. They include NASA astronauts Steve Swanson, Reid Wiseman, Barry Wilmore and Terry Virts.

Swanson was born in Syracuse, N.Y., but considers Steamboat Springs, Colo., his hometown. Wiseman is from Baltimore and is a commander in the U.S. Navy. Wilmore, a captain in the U.S. Navy, is from Mount Juliet, Tenn. Virts, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, was born in Baltimore, but considers Columbia, Md., his hometown.

Swanson and his two Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) crewmates will join Expedition 39 in progress. That expedition will begin in March 2014. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, the expedition's commander; NASA's Richard Mastracchio; and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin already will be aboard.

Swanson and his crewmates are scheduled to launch in April 2014. Expedition 39 will consist of the following crew members:

-- Wakata, station commander-- Mastracchio, flight engineer-- Tyurin, flight engineer-- Swanson, flight engineer-- Alexander Skvortsov of Roscomos, flight engineer-- Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos, flight engineer

Expedition 40 will begin in May 2014. The second half of the crew is scheduled to launch in June 2014. Expedition 40 will consist of the following crew members:

-- Swanson, station commander-- Skvortsov, flight engineer-- Artemyev, flight engineer-- Wiseman, flight engineer-- Maxim Suraev of Roscosmos, flight engineer-- Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (ESA), flight engineer

Expedition 41 will begin in September 2014. The remainder of the crew is scheduled to launch in October 2014. Expedition 41 will consist of the following crew members:

-- Suraev, station commander-- Wiseman, flight engineer-- Gerst, flight engineer-- Wilmore, flight engineer-- Yelena Serova of Roscosmos, flight engineer-- Alexander Samoukutyaev of Roscosmos, flight engineer

Expedition 42 will begin in November 2014. The other half of the team is scheduled to launch in December 2014. Once on the station, Expedition 42 will include the following crew members:

Read the rest here:

NASA, Space Station Partners Announce Future Crew Members

From high above Earth, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is broadcasting a message of peace for the people of Earth, with a little help from 200,000 Twitter fans.

The three-time spaceflyer, a flight engineer and prolific Twitter user on the International Space Station, spoke solemnly Thursday (Jan. 10) about a picture he recently took of war-torn Syria.

The picture had special poignancy given that the Earth appears as "one place" from orbit, Hadfield told reporters in a press conference at the Canadian Space Agency's headquarters near Montreal, Quebec.

"When we do look down on a place that is in great turmoil or strife, it's hard to reconcile the inherent patience and beauty of the world with the terrible things that we can do to each other as people, and can do to the Earth itself, locally," Hadfield said from space.

Hadfield, 53, spent his first three weeks in orbit sending dozens of pictures of his view on Earth. That, plus a Twitter chat with Star Trek actor William Shatner and other celebrities, propelled his social media account @Cmdr_Hadfield on to the world stageafter his launch Dec. 19.

This weekend, Hadfield's Twitter feed surpassed 200,000 followers. As of Sunday (Jan. 13), the count was at 204,630 fans.

"Thats probably the reason we work so hard to communicate what were doing up here, as an international team ... to just try to give people just a little glimpse of that global perspective, of that understanding that were all in this together, and that this is a spaceship, but so is the world."

'A lot of the world's territory'

Chris Hadfield, who will be Canada's first space station commander in March when he takes charge, played down his sudden celebrity on Twitter, saying that he is "just a member of the rest of the team here". He attributed his popularity to the "fundamentally fascinating" work that he and the rest of the station's six-man Expedition 34 creware performing in space. [Photos by Space Station's Expedition 34Crew]

"With these new technologies in communications, we can directly give people the human side of that. The fact that now, gosh, more than 150,000 people are directly following us every day I think its just a direct measure of how important and useful this is in the human experience."

See the article here:

Space Station Astronaut Calls for Peace on Earth

NASA will use Bigelow's Expandable Activity Module to determine the potential benefits of inflatables for exploration and commercial space work.

The Bigelow Aerospace BA 330.

NASA has awarded a contract to explore ways to potentially expand the International Space Station.

The agency announced last week that Bigelow Aerospace has been awarded a $17.8 million contract to deliver to the agency an inflatable extension for the space station. According to NASA, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module "will demonstrate the benefits of this space habitat technology for future exploration and commercial space endeavors."

Inflatable space technology is nothing new. In fact, the first passive communications satellites -- Echo 1 and Echo 2 -- were both inflatable. NASA determined in 1958 that the satellites would be too big to fit into the Thor-Delta rocket, so scientists decided to allow the satellites to inflate when they got into space.

The idea of a self-contained inflatable habitat for space exploration has even been in place for decades. However, due to NASA budget constraints, the so-called "Transit Habitat," which was to help get crews to Mars with inflatable technology, was cancelled in 2000.

Bigelow, founded in the late 1990s, has been working on its own inflatable habitats for years. The company currently offers a BA 330 inflatable habitat that can be both added on to existing stations or operate on its own. The BA 330 has 330 cubed meters of volume and support up to six crewpeople for an extended period of time. According to Bigelow, the BA 330's radiation protection can at least match that of the International Space Station. The habitat's "aluminum can" design includes four large windows for occupants to look out into space.

It's not clear whether the BA 330 or another habitat has been commissioned by NASA. However, the space agency plans to hold a press event with Bigelow on Wednesday to discuss their plans.

(Via Forbes)

See original here:

Space station to test $17 million inflatable room

14 Parts To Ike And Back - Kerbal Space Station Forum Challenge
Challenge on the Kerbal Forum to try and get to a planet or moon with as few parts as possible. Most followed the same design, and went to the Mun. I figured to try something new and also a new target. Wont win any prizes, but great fun trying. And surprisingly successful.. The audio commentary and music mix is a first try, dont mind it too much yet. Will get better mic soon. Right Free Background Music by Jahzzar: freemusicarchive.org

By: MachineMarkoeZ

Originally posted here:

14 Parts To Ike And Back - Kerbal Space Station Forum Challenge - Video

KSP - Episode 6 - Kerbal Space Station
Kerbal Space Program or KSP is a game that allows you to construct rockets and probes and explore celestial bodies. Its up to you how the future of the kerbal #39;s space program is achieved by either success or Jebidiah #39;s wife beating you to death. In this Episode I show you my space station and talk about the process of getting it all together. I also Talk about moving all of them to the moon or at least bill, jeb and bob. Version of KSP 0.18.2

By: goose79335

See the original post here:

KSP - Episode 6 - Kerbal Space Station - Video

VVVVVV Demo - First Level: Space Station (Camstudio Test)
I finally understand how to record sound with Camstudio!! Perfect for upcoming videos like Need For Madness. Anyway, enjoy my video of me playing the demo of "VVVVVV". ----------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter even If I don #39;t updated that much: twitter.com

By: luigiman09

Excerpt from:

VVVVVV Demo - First Level: Space Station (Camstudio Test) - Video

KSP 0.18.2 Space Station Beginnings
Now that i have a space shuttle i guess it needs a destination. How about a huge toroid ring space station then!?! I designed it so that i leave no space junk behind. We wouldn #39;t want to worry our brave Kerbonauts.

By: Mick777Oz

Continue reading here:

KSP 0.18.2 Space Station Beginnings - Video

Crazy Car Space station By Inyourdreams
Crazy Car Player And CK Player............ Im weak see 13 colide..........Grrrrrrrrrrr........

By: arcuewe raagas

Visit link:

Crazy Car Space station By Inyourdreams - Video

by Nancy Atkinson on January 11, 2013

Want to stay on top of all the space news? Follow @universetoday on Twitter

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver is given a tour of the Bigelow Aerospace facilities in 2011 by the companys President Robert Bigelow. Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The next addition to the International Space Station will likely be an inflatable module from Bigelow Aerospace. NASA announced today they have awarded a $17.8 million contract to Bigelow to provide a new module for the ISS. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module will demonstrate the benefits of this space habitat technology for future exploration and commercial space endeavors, NASA said in a press release. This would be the first privately built module to be added to the space station.

The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that enables important discoveries that benefit humanity and vastly increase understanding of how humans can live and work in space for long periods, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. This partnership agreement for the use of expandable habitats represents a step forward in cutting-edge technology that can allow humans to thrive in space safely and affordably, and heralds important progress in U.S. commercial space innovation.

NASA will release more information about the agreement and the module next week, but previous reports have indicated the inflatable module would be used for adding additional storage and workspace, and the module would be certified to remain on-orbit for two years. NASA has been in discussions with Bigelow for several years about using their inflatable technology.

In 2006 Bigelow launched their Genesis I inflatable test module into orbit and according to their website, it is still functioning and continuing to produce invaluable images, videos and data for Bigelow Aerospace. It is now demonstrating the long-term viability of expandable habitat technology in an actual orbital environment.

A second Genesis module was launched in 2007 and it, too, is still functioning in orbit. Bigelow has said that even though the outer shell of their module is soft, as opposed to the rigid outer shell of current modules at the ISS, Bigelows inflatable modules are more resistant to micrometeoroid or orbital debris strikes. Bigelow uses multiple layers of Vectran, a material which is twice as strong as Kevlar. In ground tests, according to NASASpacefight.com, objects that would penetrate ISS modules only penetrated half-way through the skin of Bigelows modules.

Tagged as: Bigelow Aerospace, Commercial Space, Space Station

Read more from the original source:

Bigelow Inflatable Module Will be Added to Space Station

After controlling small satellites in the International Space Station this morning (Jan. 11), two teams of high school students took home top prizes for their programming skills.

The teams were part of theZero Robotics SPHERES Challenge, an annual competition that asks students to program bowling ball-size satellites to perform maneuvers related to current space-exploration problems. This year's competitors had to mimic cleaning up broken satellites and other unwanted debris humans have put into orbit around the Earth, but haven't brought back down again. Such "space junk" increases every year, which is a problem for new satellites that people want to put into space.

The student-written programs run in real testing satellites, calledSynchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellitesor SPHERES, that zip around the cabin of the International Space Station.

Every year, winners are announced among U.S. and European Union teams. In the United States, the winning team included students from Montclair High School in New Jersey and the Evergreen School District in Washington State. In the EU, the top prize went to a team of students from the Enrico Fermi School in Italy and Herder-Gymnasium in Germany.

This story was provided by TechNewsDaily, sister site to SPACE.com. Follow TechNewsDaily on Twitter @TechNewsDaily, or on Facebook.

Originally posted here:

Space Station Contest Lets Students Program Satellites

With a price tag of $100 billion, the International Space Station may be the ultimate "crib," and now an Internet video production company has given the orbiting lab the MTV treatment.

The station tour, assembled by company Now This News from video footage recorded of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams,leads viewers on an "MTV Cribs" style visit throughInternational Space Station, which is the largest manmade structure in space. The station, which today is home to six astronauts from Russia, the United States and Canada, is as long as a football field and has about 29,600 cubic feet (838 cubic meters) of living spacethe equivalent of a five-bedroom home.

The 2.5-minute Now This News video is actually edited together from a series of videos (totaling nearly 30 minutes of footage) recorded by Williams in November when she was commanding the space station's Expedition 33 mission.The Cribs-like homage comes complete with slow motion and sped up shots set to pulsing background music and an in-depth explanation of the space station's bathroom facilities.

"We have some nice tissues," Williams said, "and then if things get really out of control we have disinfectant wipes."

Williams leads the video team through the gym, kitchen and sleeping quarters, ultimately ending the tour in the cupola a small glass outcropping on the bottom of the space station.

"It's like a glass bottom boat," Williams said. "It's one of those places you find yourself hanging out in all the time because all you want to do is look back at our planet."[Inside the Space Station (Infographic)]

Williams' full tour includes an explanation of what it's like to sleep and brush your teeth in microgravity.

NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texasthe same people responsible for the Gangnam Style parody,"NASA Johnson Style"put out their own "Cribs" knock off with astronaut Mike Fincke's tour of the Space Station Mock-Up and Training Facility. Check out the video here.

You can watch NASA's full series - which includes a more in-depth look at life aboard the space station, on SPACE.com below:

Space Station Tour:Kitchen, Bedrooms & The Latrine

Original post:

Tour the Space Station MTV 'Cribs' Style (Video)

Would you trust a 16-year-old in space? NASA evidently does. Just after the sun rose on the East Coast today (Jan. 11), astronauts aboard the International Space Station ran computer instructions, written by high school students, in bowling ball-size satellites floating inside the ISS cabin. The students' code told the satellites exactly where to go to complete challenges such as spitting out dust clouds and avoiding obstacles.

Ceding control of small satellites to students is part of an annual competition called theZero Robotics SPHERES Challenge, which is hosted by NASA, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Today's run is the Zero Robotics finals. Those interested canwatch a live broadcastof the event. Fifteen teams from the United States and Europe are competing to get their satellites to perform tasks related to cleaning up space junk.

"SPHERES" stands forSynchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites. MIT, NASA and DARPA researchers use SPHERES to test spacecraft maneuvers, such as docking and flying in formation.

This year the students had to program their SPHERES to deploy dust clouds that couldremove space junkfrom orbit, dock with another satellite to harvest its parts, and maneuver through an unknown field full of debris. The SPHERES had to perform all of those tasks autonomously, just as spacecraft would, once an ISS astronaut activated their code.

In the U.S., participating students watched their code at work over a direct transmission from the International Space Station, shown at the MIT campus. The European students watched from the European Space Research and Technology Center in the Netherlands.

This story was provided byTechNewsDaily, a sister site to SPACE.com. Follow TechNewsDaily on Twitter @TechNewsDaily, or on Facebook.

Link:

High Schoolers Control Satellites Aboard Space Station