
The next SpaceX launch isn’t just about the booster landing - jseliger
http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/03/heres-why-the-next-spacex-launch-isnt-just-about-the-booster-landing/
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mdorazio
I'm kind of disappointed by how small that module is based on the rendering.
One of the big advantages of inflatables is that you can get really large
structures for small launch mass and volume. In any case, it will be very
interesting to see how this performs over time, especially with respect to
blocking radiation for the hypothetical crew inside.

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david-given
Well, it _is_ a prototype. Hopefully if this works well we'll see full-sized
modules soon. It's the obvious way to get large amounts of living space into a
small spacecraft payload bay.

The article says that Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are still operational; but the
wikipedia pages for them contradict this. It looks like they've both suffered
avionics failure and are just dead carcasses. (As expected. They both lasted
well beyond their design lifetime.) It says they're going to decay and reorbit
within a decade, but I'm a bit surprised they didn't have deorbit systems.

Incidentally, if you web search for "genesis 1" you get some really non-
spacecraft-related results...

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jakub_h
Likewise, the square-cube law could mean that the smaller versions are
necessarily less impressive with repect to what you can squeeze into the
uninflated volume of the module.

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Cshelton
Isn't any pressurized "capsule" in space a ballon effectively? This seems like
it would work if it blocks radiation. Of course there are still tiny objects
that could pierce right through, but a normal module probably wouldn't make
much of a difference there anyway...?

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branchan
Sounds like all your questions would've been answered if you read the article.

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Symmetry
Bigelow has been having some troubles lately but inflatable habitats are
really exiting and I hope this works out.

[https://www.glassdoor.ca/Reviews/Bigelow-Aerospace-
Reviews-E...](https://www.glassdoor.ca/Reviews/Bigelow-Aerospace-
Reviews-E373179.htm)

~~~
smpetrey
Damn, losing holiday pay for taking PTO the day before or after holidays?
That's just uncouth..

~~~
facetube
And probably illegal if it was taken for a documented health condition.

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awinter-py
It's not just habitats that can benefit from this research. Amazon's health &
personal hygiene dept is marketing a similar technology that can reduce the
mass-to-orbit for a humanoid explorer up to 40% (including life support
equipment).

[http://www.amazon.com/Big-Mouth-Toys-INFLATABLE-
JUDY/dp/B004...](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Mouth-Toys-INFLATABLE-
JUDY/dp/B004HP4CG2)

