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Boeing + Bigelow Aerospace (the private space station folks) teaming up for a NASA CCDev commercial space contract That's what just happened.
One of Boeing's crew exploration vehicle (CEV) concepts was a large Apollo style capsule with a habitat stuck on the nose. See below. Some call this a "Soyuz" arrangement, but that's not really accurate; the Russians 'borrowed' the concept from General Electric who first proposed it back in the Mercury days as the "D2".
Hmmm......Sundancer or something a bit smaller? Enough for sleeping berths, a hardened shelter, galley and a porta-potty with room for a lander on the other end?
Orlando Sentinel link....
Boeing press release.....
Boeing CEV
GE D-2 (note the same hab-crew-propulsion arrangement as the Soyuz, but with an outer shell)
One of Boeing's crew exploration vehicle (CEV) concepts was a large Apollo style capsule with a habitat stuck on the nose. See below. Some call this a "Soyuz" arrangement, but that's not really accurate; the Russians 'borrowed' the concept from General Electric who first proposed it back in the Mercury days as the "D2".
Hmmm......Sundancer or something a bit smaller? Enough for sleeping berths, a hardened shelter, galley and a porta-potty with room for a lander on the other end?
Orlando Sentinel link....
Boeing press release.....
Boeing throws its hat into the commercial space ring
posted by Robert Block on Sep 23, 2009 3:37:12 PM
Undaunted by Congressional skeptics of commercial space ventures, aerospace heavyweight Boeing Co. submitted a proposal Tuesday to NASA requesting the agency to speed up development of commercial human spaceflight capabilities.
The company said in a press release that the company has joined a total of four teams of commercial space ventures vying for a share of $50 million of Recovery Act funds given to NASA to develop technologies and processes so that commercial rocket companies can begin transporting astronauts to orbit.
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Boeing already has a capsule design that it has proposed to NASA before.
According to the press release, one of the projects has Boeing joining forces with Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace, which has created self-expanding space modules that can be used as labs or hotels in orbit. The plan would be to design a system that could take crew and cargo to Bigelow’s facilities or even the international space station, Memi said in an email.
“We are planning to initiate the basic overall system definition and design as well as perform some subsystem demonstration testing such as life support, avionics and landing systems,†he added.
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posted by Robert Block on Sep 23, 2009 3:37:12 PM
Undaunted by Congressional skeptics of commercial space ventures, aerospace heavyweight Boeing Co. submitted a proposal Tuesday to NASA requesting the agency to speed up development of commercial human spaceflight capabilities.
The company said in a press release that the company has joined a total of four teams of commercial space ventures vying for a share of $50 million of Recovery Act funds given to NASA to develop technologies and processes so that commercial rocket companies can begin transporting astronauts to orbit.
>
Boeing already has a capsule design that it has proposed to NASA before.
According to the press release, one of the projects has Boeing joining forces with Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace, which has created self-expanding space modules that can be used as labs or hotels in orbit. The plan would be to design a system that could take crew and cargo to Bigelow’s facilities or even the international space station, Memi said in an email.
“We are planning to initiate the basic overall system definition and design as well as perform some subsystem demonstration testing such as life support, avionics and landing systems,†he added.
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>
GE D-2 (note the same hab-crew-propulsion arrangement as the Soyuz, but with an outer shell)