Presentation Goals • Challenges: • Where we stand now: – Technology » Virgin Galactic – Public support » Bigelow – Cost Space Tourism » Space Adventures The challenges to getting there • The Future: and where we stand so far. •Sub-Orbital Flights •Space Hotels •Lunar Orbits The RLV (reusable launch Get ‘er done vehicle) • “The U.S. government is • Today: $400 million per • meeting resistance in • Passenger certification: committed to working launch manufacture – Assume similar to cooperatively with private • Hopes: lower launch costs – Competition w/ more commercial airplane space transportation so that tickets go between interests to drive down $20,000-$50,000 flexible ELV companies • Chance for safety critical today's Shuttle costs of – Competition w/ terrestrial system failure 1 in a billion hundreds of millions each per flight hour ‘adventures’ trip with the anticipation that, with new kinds of • To overcome all obstacles in – Market driven vehicles, this cost could be technology, psychology, and • High risk lowered to tens of millions. operations would involve This translates into lowering investment of billions • Limited pay back the per person trip cost from • Where is this money going • Possible satellite market hundreds of thousands of to come from? Is there dollars” enough impetus in private to assist – ‘General Public Space sector? How much will the Travel and Tourism’ gov’t feasibly be able to contribute? Public Opinion Public Consideration • Non-partisan • Is this true? Where is There’s a reason it’s • Preventing/ameliorating surveys show high the public support of called the vomit space sickness interest (tens of space science then? comet… – Nausea pills? millions) of – Artificial gravity? ‘average’ Americans • Gravity at take off and interested in going landing to space, even at – Down to 2x surface high cost • Passenger preparation – Space camp • Part of the appeal? And once the technology has been brought up to standards… 1 Comforts far from home Virgin Galactic • Facilities with basic comforts • Winner of Ansari X-prize – privacy, – entertainment, • Now flight testing WhiteKnightTwo and – easy to operate toilets, SpaceShipTwo for commercial suborbital showers, flights – eating-drinking facilities • $200,000 for 2.5 hr flight up to 110 km (68 • Entertainment mi) and a few minutes of weightlessness – Space sports – Earth viewing lounge • To date have invested $75,000,000 Virgin Passengers • By 2015 expect to have spent $500,000,000 and have first commercial space complex (CSC) in orbit • Operations from • First 50,000ft with • “Bigelow Aerospace is not in the hotel business. Mojave Spaceport WhiteKnight We are in the business of creating structures for • Three day training in transporter other people to use as hotels, laboratories, New Mexico • Then SpaceShipTwo factories, corporate yachts, adjunct colleges, – Involving macrogravity launch off, accent to medical clinics, astronaut training facilities, or and microgravity 110 km. imaginative environments for public entertainment, etc., etc...” preparation • Use ‘feathering’ technique for re-entry Genesis I • Launched July 2006 • 6in thick walls Genesis II • Inflatable space • 8 solar arrays habitat with 11 cubic • Produces 1 kilowatt • Same size as meter of space power, keeps 26V Genesis I battery charge – With 22 cameras instead of 13 – Additional sensors and avionics – ‘Fly Your Stuff’ • For $300 people could send up pictures, mementos, etc. Outside Genesis I Inside Genesis I 2 The Future Discussion for Bigelow • Projects such as Bigelow’s need cheaper launch vehicles to achieve cost • “I have recognized all effectiveness. • April 2007, announce along that we may be • How do you think it best to proceed in the intent to offer ready with a destination but must development of such vehicles? Gov’t? business plans for a Private? four week ‘space wait for the progress vacation’ for $15 of affordable, million, an additional available 4 wks for 3 million. transportation to catch up.” » Robert T. Bigelow Space Adventures Space Adventure Spaceports • Two global spaceports in –Singapore development: •Spaceport Singapore w/ – United Arab Emirates facility for training, public education, • Send first space tourist to ISS for $20 • UAE spaceport for interactive public million in 2001. development of Explorer displays – Six month training required – Suborbital plane, – Seats five, in • Now offering space walks for extra $15 development with million, 1 month training, lengthen mission Russian Federal 6-8 days Space Agency • Majority of machinery Russian Conceptualized design for UAE spaceport Space Adventures’ Future • Circumlunar Flights • Two commercial – Sequence of manned seats at $100 million and unmanned flights apiece involving initial Soyuz rocket • Second launch of unmanned booster to rendezvous later Conceptualized Singapore spaceport. Will offer actually space flights as well as G-force training and space walk simulations in neutral buoyancy tanks. 3.