Sundancer

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Sundancer
Type: Space station module
Country: United StatesUnited States United States
Operator: Messrs. Bigelow Aerospace
Mission dates
Dimensions: 8600 kg
Size: Length 8.7 m; Diameter 6.3 m
Launcher: Falcon 9
Status: painted
Orbit data
Track height: 463 km
Orbit inclination : 40 °

Sundancer was the third prototype of a space station module to be transported into space and tested by the private company Bigelow Aerospace (BA). As with the Genesis range , the technology was based on the Transhab study. The module was last scheduled to start in 2015, but was finally canceled in 2011 and replaced by the successor BA 330 .

background

Sundancer was originally planned as a fourth prototype. However, according to Robert Bigelow, rising transport costs and the successes with Genesis 1 and 2 led to the cancellation of the Galaxy mission. The dimensions of the Galaxy module should be twice as large as the Genesis modules (usable volume 11.5 m³) and smaller than the Sundancer module (total volume 180 m³). After the launch of Sundancer was postponed several times and should have taken place in 2015 with the Falcon 9 from SpaceX , the mission was canceled in favor of the successor BA 330.

System tests would have been run at Sundancer in the first six to nine months after launch. After that, it would have been accessible to astronauts if a suitably economical transport system were to be available. Had the manned missions to Sundancer been successful, this would serve as the starting point for building the complex with a hub, a drive bus system and the BA-330 modules. The junction would be intended for docking the BA-330 modules.

Systems and configuration

The Sundancer module would have been equipped with a fully functional life support system. The first tests for this began in 2010. Furthermore, a path and position control system and a drive system were planned. For this reason, the module could also have been referred to as a space station , since it provides or should provide the primary functions of a space station. After entering orbit, the module would have started to inflate to a diameter of 6.3 m and a length of 8.7 m. The module with its 180 m³ would have offered space for six people in the short term and three people in the long term. According to BA, it would have had equivalent or better radiation protection than the ISS and better ballistic protection against space debris and micrometeorites than a conventional "aluminum cylinder space station module". Sundancer would also have had two propulsion systems, on the bow and stern sides. The rear-wheel drive would have been refillable and usable again. The energy supply would have been via solar panels and accumulators. For future visitors, Sundancer would have offered four windows for the terrestrial and supernatural views as the first module from BA. The basic concept of the station structure would have been the autonomy of the individual modules, i.e. H. each module would have had the same main systems (life support, position control, energy supply, ...) as the other modules.

Web links

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  1. ^ Moon Dreams. Economist.com, February 18, 2010, accessed March 26, 2011 .
  2. ↑ a b Expediting BA 330 Development. July 2011, archived from the original ; accessed on October 12, 2018 (English): "Due to customer demand and progress in commercial crew transportation, Bigelow Aerospace has moved directly to BA 330 development. As the name indicates, the BA 330 will provide roughly 330 cubic meters of usable volume and can support a crew of up to six. The BA 330 can function as an independent space station, or several BA 330s can be combined to support an even larger orbital complex. "It's extremely exciting to proceed with the actual construction of BA 330s," said Robert T. Bigelow, President and founder of Bigelow Aerospace, "This robust habitat will serve as the backbone for a new, dynamic era of commercial human spaceflight. The BA 330 will support a wide variety of utilization and exploration missions both in Low Earth Orbit and beyond. "
  3. ^ Leonard David: Bigelow Aerospace does rocket reality check. msnbc.msn.com, September 28, 2007, accessed March 2, 2011 .
  4. ^ Launch Manifest. SpaceX, accessed February 21, 2012 .
  5. ↑ http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw040907p2.xml&headline=null&prev=10 (link not available)
  6. ↑ a b Warren Ferster: Private Space Habitat Could Launch by 2010. space.com, September 21, 2006, accessed on March 2, 2011 (English).
  7. ↑ Paul Marks: NASA turned on by blow-up space stations. New Scientist, March 3, 2010, accessed March 2, 2011 .
  8. ↑ James R. Asker: In the Loop - Volunteers will test Bigelow life-support gear . In: Aviation Week & Space Technology . Volume 172, Number 39, October 25, 2010, p. 18 (English, behind the registration barrier: http://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/20101025/#!&pid=18 [accessed on January 29, 2019]).
  9. ↑ http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw040907p2.xml&headline=null&prev=10 (link not available)
  10. ↑ Sundancer. (No longer available online.) Bigelow Aerospace, archived from the original on July 13, 2011 ; accessed on March 3, 2011 (English).