Delivery for Bigelow's first test module

Officially scheduled for 15/5/2006
Genesis Pathfinder-1 will be delivered to Russia for launch preparation
Only a few days from now
http://www.federalspace.ru/PlanQuart.asp?Lang=ENG
According to official Russian Space Agency web site

Go! Bigelow Aerospace!

Wicked!
Not long now is it.
Hope it is successfull


Iain
--------------
www.kiwi2space.co.nz

Anyone find any other news on this anywhere? This is something to realy get excited about, another nice step!
Rob

And Liftoff!: Tuesday 13 June 2006

Bigelow updates their Web site, but the launch has been delayed....

http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/multiverse/news.php

The time should be approaching. Has anyone heard a new date yet?

July 12 2006 according to:

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/index.html

Go Bigalow

Genesis-1 has been successfuly launched into space!

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/06 ... aunch.html

Yeah!

Finally some good news in alt-space besides another empty spaceport. I wonder if they will start to show updates on the module's progress.

I've combined using my own sources (official press releases) an other article:
http://www.spacefellowship.com/News/?p=1614

It contains some other information, than space.com provides.

Built, qualified, launched: 3 down, about 997 to go until we see a manned private space station.
Kudos to Bigelow, at least someone got something right. That'll give them the required experience to overcome the inevitable glitches and maybe failures, and find success at the end.

Cheers
Max

Successful launch is a great achievement, but this is the first time inflantable stuff being in space. I suppose they need to verify if the module is alright and then go ahead with its deployment (inflation).

Has anyone found an mission agenda or some sort?

I have only found that Bigelow Aerospace is going to use its telemetry for a long time. Will it be fully pressurised? I think this module won't be perfectly sealed, so it will loose air (what gas will be used to pressurise it?) over time. Are there any reserves prepared to maintain pressure at desired level?

I have read somewhere that it will be pressurized with nitrogen. Part of the test is for leak rates I think.

I just found out that on a full-scale module, each wall would be 40cm (16 inches) thick... that seems to be very thick to me..
I'm still adding all information I find onto this websites news section:
http://www.spacefellowship.com/News/?p=1614

This mission seems to be going from good to better all the time. Bigalow reports confirmation that the vehicle has expanded as planned and the solar arrays have also configured successfully. I imagine that they've already got video happening as all the other telemetry appears to be operational.

With respect to the wall thickness, Bigalow say that it will provide better protection for micro meteors, radiation, etc than the existing solid structures of the ISS, Shuttle and other space vehicles and I think that it's the laying effect that provides this improved protection. Different materials for different purposes sandwiched together. Not a new concept but a new concept for space habitation.

Hindsight is 20:20 however Bigalow's success here is not as surprising as it might seem at first except that it appears to have gone right first time. And this is of interest because it is so rare in the space industry. Remember that Bigalow's background is contracting and to make money (and he's made a lot) you got to be very good at it. He seems to have approached this enterprise in the same manner not relying on single contractors but several in each area of expertise and developing them as well up to his standards. This gives him a number of similarly skilled contractors to choose the best from and hence underpins his success.

Next sheduled launch is Aug. 6: Dnepr to launch Genesis-2 from Dombarovskiy. Delays of about a month are common so it'll probably be September instead.

Bigalow have indicated that even if they run into some problems along the way, they intend to fly their vehicles pretty much to schedule so as to get experience and hard data.

Any way nice to see this going ahead. By the way, this is off topic but it makes it all the more important to get moving on space and planetary habitation and transport. Anyone heard of Peak Oil and the potential impacts likely on the World should this event take place? Very scary