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Besides building private space stations Bigelow Aerospace plans on using its expandable habitats to build a land-able moonbase and a lunar supply station, both constructed at L1 - the first Lagrange point which is where the gravity of Earth and the Moon are balanced. n The moonbase would be landed pretty much intact and be serviceable shortly thereafter. Instant moonbase.
Previously all we've had on these were the line drawings in Bigelow's patent applications (which were granted), but now they've given us a better look.
Crew capacity? Up to 18 for the version shown.
How large are the modules? 330 cubic meters, though Bigelow has plans for 2,100 and 3,240 cubic meter modules in development. For comparison the ISS will be about 1,000 cubic meters when completed.
What are those things attached to the modules docking adapters? Propulsion buses. They include fuel, engines, attitude control thrusters and have self-leveling landing legs.
Is Bigelow serious? You betcha, and they're now partnering with Boeing on another project: the building of the Orion Lite (now planned to be an ISS lifeboat) and other commercial space projects. They also have a deal with ULA, the Lockheed/Boeing joint venture, for up to 50 Atlas V launches. That's a whole lot of big rockets and doesn't even count their deal with SpaceX.
Space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow (left) discusses layout plans of the company's lunar base with Eric Haakonstad, one of the Bigelow Aerospace lead engineers.
Bigelow Aerospace engineers see an instant moon base by using a cluster of expandable modules that are piloted to the moon's surface.
L1 build-up of lunar base elements with the entire complex migrated from the construction zone to the moon.
Previously all we've had on these were the line drawings in Bigelow's patent applications (which were granted), but now they've given us a better look.
Crew capacity? Up to 18 for the version shown.
How large are the modules? 330 cubic meters, though Bigelow has plans for 2,100 and 3,240 cubic meter modules in development. For comparison the ISS will be about 1,000 cubic meters when completed.
What are those things attached to the modules docking adapters? Propulsion buses. They include fuel, engines, attitude control thrusters and have self-leveling landing legs.
Is Bigelow serious? You betcha, and they're now partnering with Boeing on another project: the building of the Orion Lite (now planned to be an ISS lifeboat) and other commercial space projects. They also have a deal with ULA, the Lockheed/Boeing joint venture, for up to 50 Atlas V launches. That's a whole lot of big rockets and doesn't even count their deal with SpaceX.
Space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow (left) discusses layout plans of the company's lunar base with Eric Haakonstad, one of the Bigelow Aerospace lead engineers.
Bigelow Aerospace engineers see an instant moon base by using a cluster of expandable modules that are piloted to the moon's surface.
L1 build-up of lunar base elements with the entire complex migrated from the construction zone to the moon.