By: Julia Gordon

Space Hotel

Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas

Robert Bigelow

• Founder of Bigelow Aerospace and Budget Suites of America hotel chain– Plant on the outskirts of Las Vegas– http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/index.h

tml

• Investing $500 million of his own fortune– Budgets carefully– Involved in every aspect of the operation

• $50 million prize to the company that can create a orbital space vehicle to transport guests

Inflatable Space Modules

• Large volume• Weigh significantly

less• Basic architecture

created by William Schneider

• Could form basis for manned lunar and Martian habitats

The Hotel Itself

• $1 million a night stay• Space tourist can:

– See all the Earth’s oceans flying past the windows at 17,500 miles per hour

– Learn weightless acrobatics– Gaze into the galaxy filled with stars– Call envious friends back home– Laser light shows on the dark side of the

moon– Take short space walks

Key Developments

• How to fold and package “soft goods” around the module’s aluminum core

• External “restraint system”• Covering the straps with a five-layer

micrometeorite shield• Environmental control and life-support systems

So when do we go?

November 2005

First launch of Genesis 1/3 size

April 2006 Second launch of Genesis

1/3 size

2007 First launch of Guardian carrying life-support systems

45% size

2007 Second launch of Guardian carrying life-support systems

45% size

2008 First unmanned launch of Nautilus

Full size

2010 First manned launch of Nautilus

Full size

References

Belfiore, Michael. “The Five-Billion-Star Hotel.” Popular Science. March 2005. Popular Science. 22 February 2005. http://www.popsci.com/popsci/aviation/article/0,20967,1027551,00.html.

Covault, Craig. “Bigelow’s Gamble.” Aviation Week and Space Technology. September 2004. Spaceflight Now. 2 March 2005. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0409/27bigelow/.

David, Leonard. “Bigelow Space Module Gets Government Okay.” Space. November 2004. Space. 2 March 2005. http://www.space.com/news/bigelow_update_041124.html.

Knapp, George. “The Ultimate Public-Private Partnership.” Las Vegas Mercury. July 2004. Las Vegas Mercury. 2 March 2005. http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2004/MERC-Jul-08-Thu-2004/24250261.html.