Bigelow Interview Cites Innovative Lunar Base Approach

[Swampcat]

More news from Robert Bigelow. This article is from Alan Boyle's Cosmic log and includes an interview with Mr. Bigelow. Part of the interview covers an interesting approach to setting down at least the habitable components of a lunar base.<br /><br /><center>BIGELOW SHOOTS FOR THE MOON<br /><blockquote><p align="left"><font color="orange">Even as Bigelow Aerospace gears up for launching its second prototype space station into orbit, the company has set its sights on something much, much bigger: a project to assemble full-blown space villages at a work site between Earth and the moon, then drop them to the lunar surface, ready for immediate move-in.</font>/p><br /><p align="left"><font color="orange">Our Job One is to take care of our business in low Earth orbit and try to perfect our spacecraft through these Pathfinder launches. Then try to launch our Sundancer spacecraft in 2010, our Galaxy spacecraft in ’08 – and perfect our propulsion buses and our power systems, and start assembly of our first commercial space complex in 2010, 2011, 2012. By 2012, we should have two habitable modules in orbit, and one large propulsion and power system.</font>/p><br /><p align="left"><font color="orange">That will constitute the beginning of our opportunity. If we can do that, I would say that’s an exercise that’s applicable to the L1 scenario.</font>/p></p></p></p></blockquote></center><br /><br />I really like the way this man thinks...and especially like the way he's putting his money where his mouth is and actually making things happen. He might not have his LEO station ready before ISS is complete, but he won't be far behind if things go as planned. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[gunsandrockets]

In the interview Bigelow speaks about some new technique for moving regolith for shielding a base. He claims to have a new method that does not use traditional dirt hauling tractors! I'm racking my brain to figure out just what he might have up his sleeve. The only sensible thing that comes to mind is some kind of dirt-bagging machine (lightweight mylar bags?), so instead of hauling loose dirt around sand-bags are moved instead.

 

[docm]

IMO the mylar bags over a modular inflatable igloo system makes the most sense. The dome is naturally strong, efficient and should be easy to fab. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[bpfeifer]

When the Roman army set up an encampment, they dug a trench around it and built an earthen rampart with the material they excavated. Their long-time rivals, the Persian army spent more time in the deasert and carried thousands of bags with them. When the Persians set up an encampent, they filled the bags with local sand and build a sandbag rampart around the camp.<br /><br />I really like the sandbag approach. It allows you to take advantage of local resources, but is much more controlled than just shovelling a pile of regolith over your habitat. It would likely work on the dusty Red Planet as well.<br /><br />Which legacy will we carry to the planets, the Roman or Persian encampment models? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Brian J. Pfeifer http://sabletower.wordpress.com<br /> The Dogsoldier Codex http://www.lulu.com/sabletower<br /> </div>