Genesis II Launches, Deploys Solar Panels
Along with your jetpack, flying car, and moving sidewalks, a hotel in space is one of the great, undelivered promises of the future. Well, Bigelow Aerospace took another step towards fulfilling that promise last week with the launch of Genesis II, its prototype of an inflatable space hotel.
Genesis II was lofted into space atop Dnepr rocket on Thursday from the SC Kosmotras Yasny Cosmodrome in Russia. Shortly after launch, ground controllers confirmed a strong signal with the vehicle, confirming that it reached orbit.
On Friday, the habitat unfurled its solar panels, and inflated itself to its full width of 2.4 metres (8 feet).
Like it predecessor, Genesis 1, this spacecraft is a 1/3rd scale prototype of a future space hotel, designed to demonstrate various technologies and techniques needed for space tourism. The eventual plan is to put a manned habitat up by 2015, and then connect additional modules together to build up a space station.
Genesis II has 22 cameras, and many new systems that weren’t aboard Genesis I.
Original Source:Bigelow Aerospace
Recent Posts
Is the JWST Now an Interplanetary Meteorologist?
The JWST keeps one-upping itself. In the telescope's latest act of outdoing itself, it examined…
Solar Orbiter Takes a Mind-Boggling Video of the Sun
You've seen the Sun, but you've never seen the Sun like this. This single frame…
What Can AI Learn About the Universe?
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have become ubiquitous, with applications ranging from data analysis, cybersecurity,…
Enceladus’s Fault Lines are Responsible for its Plumes
The Search for Life in our Solar System leads seekers to strange places. From our…
Lunar Explorers Could Run to Create Artificial Gravity for Themselves
Few things in life are certain. But it seems highly probable that people will explore…
This is an Actual Picture of Space Debris
Space debris is a growing problem, so companies are working on ways to mitigate it.…