Бигелоу

[ken_park]

очень близкий "засвет"
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thom_astro/32894754463/in/dateposted/

[triage]

 
Published on Apr 26, 2017
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet inspecting the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) and taking photographs for processing on ground. BEAM is a new type of space habitat that is launched in a compressed form and expands once connected to the International Space Station. This uses less payload volume on a rocket, but could provide a larger and comfortable area for astronauts to live and work.
After a two-year test period, BEAM will be jettisoned from the space station, leaving orbit to burn during its descent through Earth's atmosphere—much like many cargo spacecraft do.
This video is sped up 30 times. 
During his Proxima mission, Thomas will perform around 50 scientific experiments for ESA and France's space agency CNES as well as take part in many research activities for the other Station partners. 
The mission is part of ESA's vision to use Earth-orbiting spacecraft as a place to live and work for the benefit of European society while using the experience to prepare for future voyages of exploration further into the Solar System.
More about the Proxima mission: http://www.esa.int/proxima
Connect with Thomas Pesquet: http://thomaspesquet.esa.int

[Salo]

Marcia Smith‏ @SpcPlcyOnline
NASA Plans to Extend Use of Bigelow's BEAM on ISS https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/nasa-plans-to-extend-use-of-bigelows-beam-on-iss/#.WdL_zV304aA.twitter ...
 20:11 - 2 окт. 2017 г.

[Salo]

https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/nasa-plans-to-extend-use-of-bigelows-beam-on-iss/#.WdL_zV304aA.twitter

NASA Plans to Extend Use of Bigelow's BEAM on ISS
By Marcia Smith | Posted: October 2, 2017 11:07 pm ET | Last Updated: October 2, 2017 11:07 pm ET

NASA issued a notice today that it plans to award a sole source contract to Bigelow Aerospace to continue use of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) that is attached to the International Space Station (ISS).  BEAM has been used only as a technology demonstration so far.  NASA now wants to use it for on-orbit storage and will allow Bigelow to use it for its own technology demonstrations.

A synopsis of the solicitation states that NASA plans to award the contract in the first quarter of FY2018, which began yesterday and runs through December 31.  It explains the rationale for making a sole source award, but gives other companies 15 days to indicate their interest and capabilities for performing the work.  The contract is for "sustaining engineering, anomaly resolution, and engineering analysis, in addition to BEAM stowage and life-extension certification."
BEAM module, attached to the International Space Station, after it was expanded. Screengrab from NASA TV.

BEAM was launched on the SpaceX CRS-8 mission on April 8, 2016 in the trunk of the Dragon capsule. After Dragon arrived at the ISS, the robotic Canadarm2 was used to move BEAM to the Tranquility Module.  It was expanded on May 28, 2016 under the close supervision of astronaut Jeff Williams, a process that took 7 hours and 6 minutes.

BEAM is made of fabric (whose details are proprietary), rather than metal, so it can be collapsed into a small volume for launch and then expanded once on orbit. (It is often referred to as "inflatable," but expandable is the correct term).  When expanded, it has a volume of 16 cubic meters.

Astronauts have entered it 13 times to take environmental readings, but it has not been used operationally yet.  NASA is studying aspects such as structural integrity and thermal stability, as well as resistance to space debris, radiation and microbial growth.

The expandable module concept builds on work NASA did in the 1990s through the TransHab program, which was terminated for budgetary reasons.  Bigelow picked it up and launched two test modules, Genesis I and II, on Russian rockets in 2006 and 2007.  The company continued developing the technology, leading to BEAM.

NASA's original contract with Bigelow was to keep BEAM on ISS for two years and then jettison it, but NASA has concluded that BEAM has value as a storage compartment and wants to keep it there.  NASA said the new contract would overlap the originally contracted test period, for a minimum of three years, with two options to extend for one additional year.  A decision on whether to jettison it at that point or continue using it will be made thereafter.

The agency said that not only would NASA use it for stowage, but Bigelow will be allowed to use it "as a test-bed for new technology demonstrations."

BEAM is only a demo.  Bigelow's full size module is the B330 with 330 cubic meters of volume.  Company founder Robert Bigelow has been trying to convince NASA to allow a B330 to be attached to the ISS by 2020, a concept he calls XBASE.   The announcement today made no mention of the larger module.

[Max Andriyahov]

А В330 уже не влезет в багажник Дракона? Как его собрались доставлять?

[triage]

Bigelow Aerospace@BigelowSpace
22:03 - 27 нояб. 2017 г.
BEAM before & after hardware removal to fulfill its new mission of being a mini warehouse for @Space_Station

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-extends-beam-s-time-on-the-international-space-station

Dec. 4, 2017

NASA Extends Expandable Habitat's Time on the International Space Station


ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Paolo Nespoli works inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, outfitting it for future cargo storage aboard the International Space Station.

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, known as BEAM, will remain attached to the International Space Station to provide additional performance data on expandable habitat technologies and enable new technology demonstrations. NASA awarded a sole-source contract to Bigelow Aerospace to support extension of the life of the privately-owned module, and its use to stow spare space station hardware. 

After NASA and Bigelow successfully completed collaborative analyses on BEAM life extension and stowage feasibility, astronauts began the process to provide additional storage capability aboard the station by removing hardware used for the initial BEAM expansion. They then converted sensors that monitor the BEAM environment from wireless to wired (to prevent interference from future stowage items on transmission of sensor data). Next they installed air ducting, netting, and large empty bags to define the stowage volume for hardware inside BEAM.  NASA and Bigelow later will likely add a power and data interface to BEAM, which will allow additional technology demonstrations to take place for the duration of the partnership agreement.

This new contract, which began in November, will run for a minimum of three years, with two options to extend for one additional year. At the end of the new contract, the agency may consider another extension or could again consider jettisoning BEAM from the station.

The space inside BEAM will hold up to 130 Cargo Transfer Bags of in-orbit stowage. Long-term use of BEAM will enable NASA and Bigelow to gather additional performance data on the module's structural integrity and thermal stability and resistance to space debris, radiation, and microbial growth, to help NASA advance and learn about expandable space habitat technology in low-Earth orbit for application toward future human exploration missions. Using BEAM for stowage will free up about 1.87 cubic feet (0.53 cubic meters) of space in other station modules for research.

NASA's use of BEAM as part of a human-rated system allows Bigelow Aerospace to demonstrate its technology for future commercial applications in low-Earth Orbit. Initial studies have shown that soft materials can perform as well as rigid materials for habitation volumes in space and that BEAM has performed as designed in resistance to space debris.
.....

[tnt22]

NASA Expands BEAM's Mission

NASA Johnson

Опубликовано: 5 дек. 2017 г.

(1:08 )

[Boris Mekler]

Max Andriyahov пишет:
А В330 уже не влезет в багажник Дракона? Как его собрались доставлять?

B330 не влезет не то что в багажник Дракона а вообще в обтекатель F9/FH - он сделан под Атлас-5.

[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/12/06/bigelows-expandable-module-goes-into-overtime-on-space-station/

Bigelow's expandable module goes into overtime on space station
December 6, 2017 Stephen Clark


European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, after outfitting its interior for cargo stowage. Credit: NASA

A commercial module mounted outside the International Space Station last year will remain attached to the orbiting research complex for at least three more years, carrying out additional tests for future space habitats and serving as a storage closet for the lab's crew.

Спойлер

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, was launched in the trunk of a SpaceX supply ship in April 2016, then attached to the station's Tranquility module with the lab's robotic arm and expanded to its full size using compressed air in May to begin a two-year campaign of experiments and tests.

The inflatable module has performed well, meeting engineers' expectations to show its resilience against radiation and potentially destructive impacts with space junk. NASA originally awarded Bigelow Aerospace, founded by wealthy real estate and hotel developer Robert Bigelow, a $17.8 million contract in 2013 to build and deliver a demonstration module to the space station.

NASA approved an extension in BEAM's stay at the complex this year, and gave Bigelow Aerospace, which retains ownership of the module, a $200,000 contract last month for sustaining engineering work, anomaly resolution, and analyses of BEAM's ability to be repurposed as a storage compartment.

The new contract is for three years through late 2020, with two additional one-year options that could keep BEAM at the station into the early 2020s. NASA could consider another extension at the end of the new contract, or consider jettisoning BEAM overboard to burn up in Earth's atmosphere, the fate originally envisioned for the module once its mission at the station was completed.


The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. Credit: NASA

BEAM is a prototype for soft-sided modules that could help construct large orbiting space stations in the future, without needing huge new rockets to do the lifting. The demonstrator launched in an unpressurized configuration, then expanded to twice its stowed length once at the station.

The space station's modules are made of rigid metallic structures, while BEAM's skin is made of a multi-layer Vectran-like material.

BEAM is small compared to the station's other modules, with an internal volume of 565 cubic feet (16 cubic meters). In its fully deployed configuration, the module measures 13 feet (4 meters) long and 10.5 feet (3.2 meters) in diameter.

"The advantage of launching an expandable to space is the packing factor," said Lisa Kauke, BEAM's deputy project manager at Bigelow Aerospace, before the module's expansion last year. "In other words, it packs down really small in the launch vehicle, and it saves on mass, but most importantly volume, and then once it gets on orbit it expands."

Bigelow Aerospace, based near Las Vegas, launched two sub-scale robotic test modules on standalone missions in 2006 and 2007. They are still orbiting Earth.

But BEAM was the first expandable module to be built for human spaceflight, a stepping stone to inflatable modules being designed by Bigelow Aerospace that could offer occupants up to 11,600 cubic feet (330 cubic meters) of internal volume.


NASA astronaut Kate Rubins inside BEAM last year. Credit: NASA

The so-called B330 habitat could launch in the early 2020s, either as a standalone human-rated commercial space station, or as a bigger attachment to the International Space Station.

Astronauts have reconfigured BEAM's interior over the last few months to ready it for a longer stay at the space station.

Crew members removed hardware used for the module's initial expansion, converted internal environmental sensors from wireless to wired to prevent interference with items that might be stored inside, and installed air ducting, netting and large empty bags to define the stowage volume inside BEAM, according to NASA.

"NASA and Bigelow later will likely add a power and data interface to BEAM, which will allow additional technology demonstrations to take place for the duration of the partnership agreement," the space agency said in a statement.

NASA wants to use the International Space Station to help foster a commercial market for research and other services in low Earth orbit. Once the space station is decommissioned — a retirement that could occur as soon as 2024 — NASA hopes commercial research labs are available in Earth orbit to continue supporting scientific and technological experiments, while the agency refocuses on deep space exploration to send astronauts back to the moon, and eventually Mars.

If such a commercial market is able to develop in orbit, the International Space Station is vital to demonstrating its promise, and NASA has used the research outpost as an incubator for commercial space initiatives in a move toward that objective.

Expandable modules could also be employed on future expeditions into deep space.

"This extension will deepen NASA's understanding of expandable space systems by making the BEAM a more operational element of the space station to be actively used in storage and crew operations," NASA said in a statement.

Since BEAM's expansion in May 2016, astronauts have entered the module more than a dozen times and conducted radiation shielding experiments, collected microbial samples, and gathered thermal and structural data to advance engineering analyses on the expandable module technology's suitability for human spaceflight.

NASA said the station crew will use BEAM to store up to 130 cargo transfer bags, freeing up space in other modules for research experiments.

[свернуть]

[Димитър]

И насколько серьезны эти разговоры про В330 на МКС в 2020 году?

[Salo]

 Bigelow Aerospace‏Подлинная учетная запись @BigelowSpace  1 ч.1 час назад  
The size of expandable space stations will have a quantum leap with the increase in the size of rocket fairings.
 

[triage]

Темы Bigelow в ЧД нету, поэтому сюда.
В 2007 году один друг Bigelow Harry Reid из Невады интересующийся НЛО выбил госфинансирование на изучение НЛО, притом первоначально интересовался сам Bigelow, господдержка была по 2012 год, пишут финансирование по этому контракту прекратили. Финансировали Bigelow Aerospace. Общая сумма в статье Пентагона за все время около 22 миллионов, Bigelow Aerospace получила часть. Непонятная фраза "This was so-called black money,"

 https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/todays-tidbits-december-17-2017/
статья в nytimes

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html
By HELENE COOPER, RALPH BLUMENTHAL and LESLIE KEANDEC. 16, 2017.

В статье упоминают что Россия и Китай изучали дольше и больше, ну и другие страны.

[che wi]

Robert Bigelow, hotel billionaire, to start new spaceflight company
http://www.businessinsider.com/robert-bigelow-space-station-operations-company-2018-2

[zandr]

http://tass.ru/kosmos/4976686

Bigelow Aerospace объявила о планах по созданию собственных станций на орбите

Роберт Бигелоу © AP Photo/John Raoux
ТАСС, 21 февраля. Компания Bigelow Aerospace совместно с Центром по развитию науки в космосе (управляет американским сегментом Международной космической станции, МКС) учредила компанию-оператора, чьей задачей станет управление орбитальными космическими станциями разработки Bigelow Aerospace.
"Bigelow Space Operations (BSO, учрежденная компания - прим. ТАСС) будет заниматься продажей, управлением и эксплуатацией автономных космических станций, разработанных Bigelow Aerospace", - говорится в сообщении, размещенном во вторник в Twitter BSO. В Bigelow Aerospace полагают, что ее проекты могут быть интересны госструктурам, частным компаниям и ученым.
Как отмечает информационный портал Space News, компания прежде всего проведет исследование рынка, чтобы выяснить, насколько востребованы подобные услуги и каковы рыночные перспективы орбитальных модулей B330 ее разработки. Первые такие модули планируется запустить в космос в начале 2020-х годов.
По словам основателя компании Роберта Бигелоу, на исследование планируется потратить в текущем году несколько миллионов долларов. Он напомнил, что Китай работает над созданием собственной орбитальной станции и уже ведет переговоры с другими странами о ее использовании. "Они предлагают крайне привлекательные условия... и частному сектору придется непросто в попытке конкурировать с их предложением", - приводит Space News слова Бигелоу.
Он также отметил, что потенциальным конкурентом для компании может стать и NASA.
Bigelow Aerospace занимается разработками орбитальных модулей. В 2016 году на американском сегменте МКС был развернут модуль BEAM, созданный компанией. Модуль представляет собой полую камеру объемом 3,6 кубометра, которая при закачке воздуха раздувается в 4,5 раза - до 16 кубометров. Он предназначен для проживания и работы в будущем экипажей орбитального комплекса.

[che wi]

Bigelow Space Ops‏ @bigelowspaceops · 15h

One B330 represents a Station, two represent a Complex. Two B330's ready for launch in 2021.

[Димитър]

zandr пишет:
Китай работает над созданием собственной орбитальной станции и уже ведет переговоры с другими странами о ее использовании. "Они предлагают крайне привлекательные условия... и частному сектору придется непросто в попытке конкурировать с их предложением", - приводит Space News слова Бигелоу.

НАСА тоже вроде планирует сдавать желающим свой сектор на МКС, а владелец S7 Филев предложил Роскосмосу сдавать русский сектор МКС. 
Ожидается большая конкуренция в сдаче и продаже "космической недвижимости" в 20-ых. 

[Василий Ратников]

Димитър пишет:
а владелец S7 Филев предложил Роскосмосу сдавать русский сектор МКС.

бредовый бред. даже и не думай про это.
просто бла бла бла уровня база на луне в 2015.

[Димитър]

Василий Ратников пишет:
бредовый бред

А в чем бред? Что будет делать Россия со своей части МКС после 2024 ?

[zandr]

http://militarynews.ru/story.asp?rid=1&nid=483144

Обитаемая станция на лунной орбите будет построена с использованием надувного жилого модуля - источник
 Москва. 1 июня. ИНТЕРФАКС-АВН - Надувные космические технологии лягут в основу обитаемой станции на лунной орбите, сообщил "Интерфаксу" источник в ракетно-космической отрасли.
 "Основой лунной станции станет жилой надувной модуль. Как ожидается, его создадут по технологии Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. Предполагается, что он будет представлять собой полую камеру, которая при закачке воздуха сможет увеличиться в 4,5 раза", - сказал источник.
 Предполагается, что первый электродвигательный модуль может быть запущен в 2022 году, жилой - еще через год. Станцию планируется сформировать в 2025 году.
 Технологию по запуску и развертыванию на орбите надувных модулей опробуют на Международной космической станции (МКС).
 Ранее на МКС был развернут надувной модуль BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module) частной американской компании Bigelow Aerospace. Планируется, что BEAM пробудет в составе станции два года. Модуль представляет собой полую камеру объемом 3,6 кубометра, которая при закачке воздуха раздувается в 4,5 раза до 16 кубометров. Он предназначен для проживания и работы будущих экипажей орбитального комплекса. Согласно открытой информации, контракт на создание этого модуля обошелся Национальному управлению по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA, США) почти в 18 млн долларов.
 Для компании Bigelow Aerospace это третий в истории надувной модуль. Первый модуль Genesis I был запущен 12 июля 2006 года, второй - Genesis II - 28 июня 2007 года. Компания планирует развивать это направление, чтобы в будущем построить орбитальный отель.

Спойлер

 В России работы по созданию трансформируемого модуля находятся на этапе научно-исследовательских и проектно-поисковых разработок. В 2015 году РКК "Энергия" получила патент на изобретение такого модуля, а в начале 2016 года испытала его макет на удары метеоритов размером до 10 см. Его изготовление обошлось в 11 млн рублей.
В сентябре 2017 года госкорпорация "Роскосмос" и NASA договорились о создании окололунной орбитальной станции Deep Space Gateway. Планируется, что её первый модуль стартует с Земли в 2022 году, а экипаж будет международным.
 Начальник Центра управления полётами (ЦУП) Максим Матюшин заявил в интервью газете "Известия", которое было опубликовано 12 апреля, что РФ имеет все необходимые средства для участия в российско-американском проекте создания орбитальной окололунной станции Deep Space Gateway.
 "Как только будет принято решение, какое российское оборудование будет использоваться на новой станции, мы проанализируем имеющиеся возможности и предоставим свое видение развития средств управления. В целом все необходимые средства у нас имеются", - сказал М.Матюшин.

[свернуть]

[triage]

Новость бред пока не будет официальной информации НАСА. Даже https://twitter.com/bigelowspace молчит о такой громкой новости.
НАСА заявляет о студенческих проработках надувного шлюза для выхода в космос (Airlock)
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-selects-university-teams-to-develop-system-prototypes-for-deep-space