JP Aerospace to compete for Bigelow prize

JP Aerospace announced their intent to compete for the Bigelow orbital prize at Space Frontier Conference 13:-

http://www.rocketforge.org/

Now that's interesting... really... a balloon to space to an inflatable habitat?

And I'm not making fun of it, I mean it really is an interesting concept and I'll be watching their progress.

--Ralph

Airship to orbit! Now I can admit it: I want to go to space but I'm scared of rockets. I like the sound of this ride.

The concept as described in a .pdf-file at www.jpaerospace.com reminds me to The da Vinci Project's concept - and my idea to extend their ballon-concept to a launch pad or spaceport at 25 km altitude by using nanocarbontube-cables to fix it at the ground (some additional cables for an elevator that can climb up to 25 km carrying the vehicle that is to be launched).

But JP Aerospace has extended this idea so far that it is something new. Only disadvantage - several days to orbit. And which way is the vehicle decelerated for reentry? By ion drive too?



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

if their balloon can make it to GEO, they have a chance

I like JP Aerospace, alway have, but I wonder about this airship. Everyone who has looked at their project says the numbers don't work or else (more likely) they are holding sometihing back. If they are, and they are successful, ATO would completely change things. I like to be hopeful, so we will see.

(I wonder what it would be like to spend several days in a crew compartment surrounded by a plasma field.)

another question that comes to mind:

do the rules of America's Space Prize allow for projects partially developed with government funding? The Ascender, IIRC had partial government funding.

Considering Bigelow's aims for his prize (ie, he wants a viable way to launch people to space for his stations), I don't think he could care less whether or not it had government funding. Unlike the X Prize which was a way to prove it was possible to get to space without help from a government, his prize is more goal oriented, with less focus on how you got there.