Genesis I

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Genesis I
GenesisI.jpeg
Image from one of the seven exterior cameras on Genesis I
Mission typeExperimental uncrewed space station
Operator Bigelow Aerospace
COSPAR ID 2006-029A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 29252
Mission duration6 months (planned)
2.5 years (achieved)
18 years and 23 days (in orbit)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSpace station
Spacecraft typeGenesis
Manufacturer Bigelow Aerospace
Launch mass1,360 kg (3,000 lb) [1]
Dimensions4.40 m (14.4 ft) of long
2.54 m (8 ft 4 in) of diameter
11.50 m3 (406 cu ft) of volume
51.70 kPa (7.498 psi) of pressure [2]
Start of mission
Launch date12 July 2006, 14:53:36 UTC [3]
Rocket Dnepr
Launch site Dombarovsky, Russia
Contractor Yuzhmash
End of mission
DisposalReentry (expected) [4]
DeactivatedRetired, on orbit [5]
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit [6]
Regime Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude 470 km (290 mi)
Apogee altitude 480 km (300 mi)
Inclination 64.52°
Period 94.84 minutes
Genesis program
Genesis II  →

Genesis I is an experimental space habitat designed and built by the private American firm Bigelow Aerospace and launched in 2006. It was the first module to be sent into orbit by the company, and tested various systems, materials and techniques related to determining the viability of long-term inflatable space structures through 2008. Such structures, including this module and others built by Bigelow Aerospace, were similar to the 1990s NASA expandable TransHab design, which aimed to provide increased interior volume at a reduced launch diameter and potentially reduced mass compared to traditional rigid structures.

Contents

The on-board systems transmitted data for 2.5 years. The spacecraft remains in orbit, allowing researchers to continue to monitor the long-term viability of its expandable space structure.

Spacecraft history

Genesis I was launched on 12 July 2006 at 14:53:36 UTC [3] aboard an ISC Kosmotras Dnepr launch vehicle, launched from Dombarovsky missile base near Yasny, Orenburg Oblast, Russia. Spacecraft control was transferred to Bigelow Aerospace at 15:08 UTC after a successful orbital insertion. [7] Designed as a one-third scale model of the full size BA 330 , when in orbit the main body of the craft measures 4.40 m (14.4 ft) long and 2.54 m (8 ft 4 in) in diameter, with an interior habitable volume of 11.5 m3 (410 cu ft). As part of the expandable design, however, the module launched with a diameter of only 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in), inflating to its full size after entering orbit. [8] The expansion process took approximately ten minutes. [4]

Genesis I suffered a major radiation event in December 2006 as a result of a "solar storm". Mission controllers were able to restart the system in time, though the situation was described as being "one fault away from the spacecraft being dead". Despite this, no lasting damage occurred and the spacecraft was continuing to operate in "excellent shape" in March 2007. [9]

The spacecraft completed its 10,000th orbit on 8 May 2008, some 660 days after launch. By that time, Genesis I had traveled more than 430 million kilometers (270 million miles), the equivalent of going to the Moon and back 1,154 times, and had taken more than 14,000 images, including images of all seven continents. Its electrical equipment had been continuously powered since it first became operational. [10]

Although the design life of the spacecraft avionics was only six months, the avionics systems worked flawlessly for "over two and a half years" before failure. The data received after the first six months was a re-verification of the validation test suite that was accomplished during the design life period. [11]

In February 2011, Bigelow reported that the vehicle had "performed flawlessly in terms of pressure maintenance and thermal control-environmental containment". [12]

The orbital life was originally estimated to be 12 years, with a gradually decaying orbit resulting in re-entry into the atmosphere of Earth and burn-up expected. Its operations lasted approximately 2.5 years, significantly longer than its expected 6-month mission duration. [5] As of 2023, the spacecraft remains in orbit. [6]

Systems

Genesis I is outfitted with eight GaAs solar panel arrays, four on each end of the craft, which produced 1000 watts total power [13] and maintained a 26 volt battery charge. [14] It carries thirteen cameras, seven externally to monitor the physical condition of the spacecraft, such as the outer shell and solar arrays, and six internally to photograph the various objects and experiments. [2] Internal systems established an atmospheric pressure of 51.7 kPa (7.50 psi) [15] and used passive thermal control to keep temperatures at an average of 26 °C (79 °F), [14] with observed limits of approximately 4.5 °C (40.1 °F) and 32 °C (90 °F). [16] Genesis I used a single gas tank for its inflation system, and guidance/stabilization control is performed using a network of torque rods, Sun sensors, GPS and a magnetometer. [17]

Payload

Aside from the various systems and monitoring equipment, Genesis I is orbiting with a wide variety of cargo. Bigelow employees contributed numerous photographs, toys, cards and other items, which were seen in still images floating around the cabin. Bigelow also placed a life sciences experiment on board, which contained four Madagascar hissing cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) and approximately 20 so-called Mexican jumping beans, which are seeds containing the live larva of the moth Cydia saltitans . [18] [19] In addition, the company allowed NASA to include a prototype for the GeneSat series of nanosatellites. This device, called GeneBox, tested the systems and procedures that will be used on future GeneSat missions. While GeneBox carries no living organisms, future flights will use sensors and optics to measure how weightlessness affects genes and the genetic activity of cells and microscopic life. [20] [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TransHab</span> NASA expandable space habitat (1997–2000)

TransHab was a program pursued by NASA in the late 1990s to develop the technology for expandable habitats inflated by air in space. TransHab was intended as a replacement for the existing rigid International Space Station crew Habitation Module. When deflated, inflatable modules provide an 'easier to launch' compact form. When fully inflated, TransHab would expand to 8.2 metres (27 ft) in diameter.

Bigelow Aerospace was an American space design and manufacturing company which closed its doors in 2020. It was an aeronautics and outer space technology company which manufactured and developed expandable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow in 1998, and was based in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It was funded in large part by the profit Bigelow gained through his ownership of the hotel chain, Budget Suites of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">America's Space Prize</span> Award

America's Space Prize was a US$50 million space competition in orbital spaceflight established and funded in 2004 by hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow. The prize would have been awarded to the first US-based privately funded team to design and build a reusable crewed capsule capable of flying 5 astronauts to a Bigelow Aerospace inflatable space module. The criteria also required the capsule be recovered and flown again in 60 days. The prize expired January 10, 2010, without a winner or any test flights attempted. The teams were required to have been based in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Bigelow</span> American businessman (born 1944)

Robert Thomas Bigelow is an American businessman. He owns Budget Suites of America and is the founder of Bigelow Aerospace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B330</span> Space habitat designed by Bigelow Aerospace

The B330 was an inflatable space habitat privately developed by Bigelow Aerospace from 2010 until 2020. The design was evolved from NASA's TransHab habitat concept. B330 was to have 330 cubic meters (12,000 cu ft) of internal volume, hence its numeric designation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesis II (space habitat)</span> Experimental uncrewed space habitat

Genesis II is the second experimental space habitat designed and built by the private American firm Bigelow Aerospace, launched in 2007. As the second module sent into orbit by the company, this spacecraft built on the data and experience gleaned from its previously orbited sister-ship Genesis I. Like its sister-ship and other modules being designed by Bigelow Aerospace, this spacecraft was based on the NASA TransHab design, which provided increased interior volume and reduced launch diameter along with potentially reduced mass compared to traditional rigid structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galaxy (spacecraft)</span>

Galaxy was a canceled prototype space habitat designed by the American firm Bigelow Aerospace, and was intended to be the third spacecraft launched by the company in their efforts to create a commercial space station. Like other modules made by Bigelow Aerospace, Galaxy was based on the inflatable TransHab design by NASA, and was to be used for advanced systems testing before the company launched human-rated vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundancer</span>

Sundancer was the proposed third prototype space habitat intended to be launched by Bigelow Aerospace—and the first human-rated expandable module based on TransHab technology acquired from NASA. It was to have been used to test and confirm systems used in the company's commercial space station efforts during the early 2010s, and if successful, would have formed the first piece of the proposed commercial space station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inflatable space habitat</span> Structure that can support life whose volume can be increased in outer space

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The Bigelow Next-Generation Commercial Space Station was a private orbital space station under conceptual development by Bigelow Aerospace in the 2000s and 2010s. Previous concepts of the space station had included multiple modules, such as two B330 expandable spacecraft modules as well as a central docking node, propulsion, solar arrays, and attached crew capsules. However it was also suggested that each B330 can operate as an independent space station. Attaching a B330 to the International Space Station or flying a B330 alone have been suggested by Robert Bigelow.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bigelow Expandable Activity Module</span> Experimental inflatable module – Installed on ISS

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axiom Orbital Segment</span> Planned ISS component

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Orbital Reef is an under development low Earth orbit (LEO) space station being designed by Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada Corporation's Sierra Space for commercial space activities and space tourism uses. Blue Origin has referred to it as a "mixed-use business park". The companies released preliminary concepts for the station on 25 October 2021. The station is being designed to support 10 persons in 830 m3 of volume. As of March 2022, the station was projected to be operational by 2027.

References

  1. ↑ Boyle, Alan (17 April 2007). "Private space station test delayed till May". NBC News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Genesis I Specs". Bigelow Aerospace. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Jonathan's Space Report Launch Log". Planet4589.org. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  4. 1 2 David, Leonard (21 July 2006). "Bigelow Aerospace's Genesis-1 Performing Well". Space.com. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
  5. 1 2 @BigelowSpace (9 January 2016). "@ras391 We hoped to receive 6 months of uncorrupted data from Genesis I & II. We were in contact for over 2.5 years!" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 February 2016– via Twitter.
  6. 1 2 Peat, Chris (24 December 2020). "Genesis 1 - Orbit". Heavens-Above. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "Russia inaugurates new space launch site". Russian Space Web. 17 July 2006. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
  8. ↑ "Genesis II Calls Home, Says It's Doing Fine". Bigelow Aerospace. 28 June 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008.
  9. ↑ David, Leonard (26 March 2007). "Bigelow Aerospace Sets a Business Trajectory". Space.com. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
  10. ↑ Malik, Tariq (9 May 2008). "Private Space Station Prototype Hits Orbital Milestone". Space.com. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  11. ↑ Bigelow, Robert (interviewee) (1 December 2011). Moonandback Interview With Robert Bigelow, Part 4 – Highlights and Plans (Podcast). Moonandback.com. Event occurs at 2:53. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  12. ↑ Knapp, George (4 February 2011). "I-Team: Bigelow Aerospace Begins Big Expansion". 8NewsNow.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  13. ↑ "Genesis-I and II". SpaceQuest.com. Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
  14. 1 2 David, Leonard (12 July 2006). "Bigelow Module: Orbital Updates". Live Science. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
  15. ↑ David, Leonard (13 July 2006). "Bigelow's Genesis-1 Performing Well". Live Science. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
  16. ↑ Ingham, Jay (13 February 2007). "Genesis I: Performance". Bigelow Aerospace. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007.
  17. ↑ Haakonstad, Eric (5 March 2007). "Genesis II Different From Genesis I". Bigelow Aerospace. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007.
  18. ↑ Ledford, Heidi (8 August 2006). "Space hotel gets a check-up". Nature. Nature (journal). doi:10.1038/news060807-7 . Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  19. ↑ Malik, Tariq; David, Leonard (28 June 2007). "Bigelow's Second Orbital Module Launches Into Space". Space.com. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
  20. ↑ "Bigelow Spacecraft Carries NASA "Genebox" For Tests In Orbit" (Press release). NASA Ames. 17 July 2006. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2007.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  21. ↑ Cowing, Keith (30 July 2006). "A Closer Look at NASA's GeneBox Payload". SpaceRef. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
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