Genesis 1 (Space Hotel experiment)

The Genesis-1 module was lofted skyward atop a Dnepr booster under contract with ISC Kosmotras. The rocket—a converted Cold War SS-18 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile—roared out of its silo from the Yasny Launch Base, an active Russian strategic missile facility.

The most important aspect of this so-far-successful mission is that it shows that the space tourism industry is not only developing vehicles for suborbital and eventually orbital flight, but that future space tourists will have a place to stay when they get up there. Actually having an experimental module on orbit is essential in order to show investors that this industry is going to be in business for a long time to come.

Only a few space tourists will be content with a short ride into orbit followed by a uncomfortable stay inside a cramped spaceplane or capsule. They will want at least a semblance of the kinds of comforts available on the cheapest package vacation. Therefore the “space hotel” is the minimum system needed to give the industry a chance to grow beyond just a limited number of hardy adventurers.

So far space tourists like Dennis Tito and his successors have gone through long months of cosmonaut training in Russia. They have been physically and mentally prepared for their trips. If the industry is to reach a broader public, passengers will have to be able to go up with, at most, only a few weeks training and preparation. This means that a space hotel will have to be extremely user friendly.

It will also have to provide generous facilities for viewing the Earth. Aside from the thrill of just being there, the main attraction for most people will be looking down at the fantastic spectacle of our ever-changing planet.

To find out the position of the Genesis module Click Here.

For more information about the Genesis program visit http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/