What is a space capsule hotel?

[Edit this paragraph] Introduction

Spacecraft and space station are no longer new terms since 196 1 April, when Soviet Air Force Major Gagarin became the first person to visit space, but their uses have been derived from pure scientific research projects to the field of tourism-space tourism has become one of the most exciting and extravagant industries at present. In order to make tourist stations more comfortable and leisure, major space companies and private enterprises have started to build "space hotels" and set off.

[Edit this paragraph] The first space hotel

On June 29th, 2007, the second test module "Genesis II" of the Space Hotel invested by American hotel tycoon robert bigelow was launched by the Russian "Dnieper" heavy carrier rocket and successfully entered the scheduled orbit. Previously, in July 2006, Russia sent the Genesis-1 test module into space with the same rocket.

Robert bigelow watched the whole process of rocket launch at the launch site that day.

The concept of space hotel has a long history. As early as 1967 before Apollo landed on the moon, Hilton Group, a famous hotel chain, put forward the idea of a space hotel, and Shimizu Construction Company of Japan later put forward a similar plan.

However, in the past 40 years, the space hotel is still a concept, and no one has really invested a penny in it. Therefore, when Bigelow announced that he would spend 500 million US dollars (about 65.438+72.5 million yuan) to build a space hotel, many people were skeptical.

Bigelow said that Bigelow plans to launch 6 to 65,438+00 test modules into space before 2065,438+00; Before 20 12, the company will launch the first manned space capsule; By 20 15, the world's first private business "Space Hotel" will be fully opened.

Robert bigelow, 6 1 year old, is an American legend. It is he who gradually turned the concept of "space hotel" from a dream into a reality.

Make a fortune in a hotel chain

Bigelow was born in the famous Las Vegas. He was full of dreams about space since he was a child, but his career in the first half of his life had nothing to do with space.

Bigelow studied business management in college. Because my father is engaged in real estate, 1967 joined the hotel industry related to real estate after graduating from the University of Arizona.

It was the time of large-scale expansion of Las Vegas. Bigelow thinks that many people who work in this city are short-term migrant workers who come and go in a hurry. Why not open a cheap hotel with a kitchen and pay by the week? This business philosophy made him successful. 1988 Established American Cheap Suite Hotel Chain.

Starting from 1997, his hotel chain began to expand to the whole country. By 1999, his hotel has more than 14000 rooms, with an annual profit of nearly 40 million dollars.

In addition, Bigelow also devoted himself to real estate and finance. In 1999, his assets reached more than1500 million dollars.

Bigelow did not forget the mysterious space after he became rich. 1990, Bigelow began to quietly fund the research on UFOs and mysterious natural phenomena. In 10, he invested at least100000 USD. However, Bigelow's space dream goes far beyond this. 1999, Bigelow founded Bigelow Space Company and announced that it would invest 500 million dollars to build a space hotel.

One million dollars a night

Bigelow is serious. The launch of this project is related to NASA's TransHab project. TransHab is an inflatable manned space capsule developed by NASA for the International Space Station from 1997.

This is a bold and innovative design. It was very small when it was launched, and it was launched only yesterday, which can reduce the cost of the space capsule. However, due to the budget shortage of NASA, the project was cancelled in 2000, when it had achieved a lot of results.

1999, Bigelow knew in advance that the TransHab project would be cancelled. As soon as Bigelow Aerospace Company was established, he contacted Dr. William Schneider, the project leader, and soon they reached a cooperation agreement. NASA also agreed to assist and support Bigelow's further development. With the help of NASA, after several years of planning, research and design, Bigelow Space Company started construction in 2005 10.

Different from the spacecraft with metal hard shell at present, Bigelow Aerospace Company designed the "Space Hotel" test module, which was assembled by several inflatable soft shell modules. Its biggest advantage is that it can save launch cost. Only nine months later, in July 2006, 12 was launched. At this time, no one doubts that Bigelow is a visionary.

According to Bigelow's plan, his company will launch the first manned space capsule in 20 12. This commercial space hotel will have 330 cubic meters of internal space and a wide window, which can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the earth and space. However, although the hotel is good, the cost is not low. The minimum cost of staying in "Space Hotel" for one night is $6,543,800+0,000.

[Edit this paragraph] Facilities

With the continuous extension of space passenger plane routes, it is inevitable to set up space hotels on the way. The design of the Space Hotel is even more unique. The main body of the space hotel is a huge circular room. There are bedrooms, parks, sports fields, swimming pools, entertainment places, shops, hospitals, theaters and so on in the circular room. The means of transportation used there are bicycles and electric cars.

An industrial zone and an agricultural zone are arranged outside the main body of the ring chamber. In the industrial zone, various factories produce daily necessities for employees and tourists of space hotels. In the agricultural area, it is divided into several large and small areas, and the seasons, seasons and crop types between them are interspersed to ensure the supply of fresh vegetables and fruits at any time. The growth of crops is controlled by sunlight.

The sunlight here is illuminated and reflected by sunlight. There are huge skylights and reflectors in the space hotel, which can adjust the intensity, irradiation time and angle of light by themselves, thus forming distinct day and night and seasonal changes.

People living in space hotels get oxygen from the decomposition of water, and large-scale photosynthesis of plants provides oxygen necessary for human survival. Therefore, except water, a raw material, which needs to be transported from the earth, other resources can be developed to the moon. The air in the space hotel is fresh, because its whole structure is sealed, and the space hotel is a real electrified world. All the electricity is generated by solar energy, and there is no environment caused by burning coal or oil.

At the other end of the ring room, there is also an airport for the space shuttle to park. It receives tourists from the earth, and can also take the space shuttle to visit the moon.

[Edit this paragraph] Development

The successful test flight of the space shuttle has accelerated the pace of building space hotels and shuttled back and forth in outer space again and again. In the weightless zone between the earth and the moon, the giant iron arm in the cargo hold of the space shuttle automatically assembles the space hotel under the control of the computer system.

With the gradual warming of space tourism and the progress of science and technology, these bold, avant-garde and imaginative space hotels are likely to eventually become a reality, and then become a stop for human space travel.

The world's first space hotel is expected to officially open in 20 12. According to reports, the space hotel that is still brewing adopts bionic design, and the connected cabin is a hotel suite, which looks like a bunch of grapes. Tourists are put in a "grape" and put on special clothes with magic iron. They can fly over the walls of the room like Spider-Man, or they can float freely in the air to feel the strange feeling of weightlessness.

[Edit this paragraph] Design family

Galaxy suite

There are bars, restaurants and bathrooms.

Designer: Shovell Coramont

Construction: It is expected to be completed on 20 12.

Per capita consumption: $4 million for three days

The hotel has about 22 rooms, each with an area of 28 square meters. This is the first time in the world. If 20 12 is successfully completed, it will become the first space hotel in human history. The different capsules of Galaxy Suite Hotel are used as bars, restaurants, reception rooms, etc. Here, guests can enjoy the beauty of the universe without leaving home and watch 65438+ every day. Travel around the world every 80 minutes. In addition, people can also experience the bubble-rich "space bath" in weightlessness. Although it is expensive to live in, according to the designer's calculation, there are about 40 thousand people in the world who can afford the accommodation, but it is not clear whether they are willing to pay for it.

Hotel Moon

You can experience Batman-style flight.

Designer: Dutch designer Hans-You Ergen Rembert.

Construction: The blueprint has been built and will take shape in early 2050.

Cost: the room rate is 6.5438+0.4 million euros for two weeks (excluding round-trip expenses).

Moon Hotel is a twin tower. It takes about two days to fly from the earth to the moon. Because there will be dust clouds when landing on the moon, the landing point will be some distance from the hotel. When tourists leave the dusty cloud area, they can see the lunar rover in the distance, which can take you to the Moon Hotel. The Moon Hotel is built on the edge of a 5-kilometer-deep canyon, where they can enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Most of the time spent traveling to the moon will be spent in hotels, so hotels will provide many entertainment activities for tourists. Visitors can experience the feeling of low gravity by participating in gravity games. These games include: hanging from a rope, swimming (jumping out of the water like a dolphin when swimming), and even flying if they have bat suits and enough courage. In addition, visitors can have a panoramic view of the moon, watch the earth hanging in the sky from a distance, or observe the earth through a super telescope.

Of course, there are many bars and rooms in the hotel. There is no elevator in the hotel because it is very important to exercise on the moon. In the state of low gravity, without exercise, people's muscles will shrink rapidly.

When tourists are tired, they can go back to the hotel room, which is similar to a "teardrop capsule". These capsules are closely connected with the living unit, and each capsule is equipped with a bedroom and a separate bathroom. They are freely hung in the hotel through thin steel cables and can be lowered or rotated by remote control according to the preferences of passengers. At night, these capsules can be used as giant light bulbs to illuminate the hotel.

Besides hotel activities, you can also walk on the moon outdoors, but this requires a spacesuit and can only be done in groups because it is dangerous. It may be more comfortable to visit by lunar rover, which can take tourists to visit some interesting places, one of which is the landing site of Apollo. Armstrong's footprints on the moon are still clearly visible, just as it happened yesterday.

Space inflatable hotel

A string of "sausages" floating in space

Designer: robert bigelow

Construction: completed before 20 15.

Per capita consumption: $654.38 +0 million per night.

Bigelow's space hotel is quite special. Volume 1500 m3, mass 100 ton, and diameter of 30m. Unlike the aluminum capsule that constitutes the International Space Station, Bigelow plans to use the space capsule as the main part of the hotel with expansion technology. The outer shell of the cabin can expand in space, and the outer wall of the cabin is covered with hard materials such as fibers. The whole hotel consists of several independent cabins, including a hotel and sausages.

At present, Bigelow's aerospace company has a capital of 500 million US dollars, and has recruited retired aerospace engineers from NASA and Lockheed Martin. At present, Bigelow has spent $75 million on this "dream". In 2006, Bigelow successfully launched an experimental space capsule, which was successfully launched in space. The temperature inside the experimental cabin is about 26 degrees Celsius, which is just suitable for human life. Its solar panels have also been fully deployed, providing 20 yuan money for scientific instruments in the space capsule.

Voyager spacecraft

"Bus" between the Earth and Mars

Designer: Eidelin, the second American astronaut to land on the moon.

Construction: it is expected to open on 20 18.

This is a hotel that flies directly to Mars. The spaceship Voyager is equipped with all kinds of comfortable facilities and can accommodate 50 people at a time. With the help of the gravity of the sun, the earth, Mars and its moon, the space hotel runs in the solar system between the earth and Mars at a speed of 2 1000 km per hour. This trip to Mars will take six to eight months. Eidelin said that this recyclable space can be used. It is an important tool for human beings to enter space for exploration, immigration and interstellar commercial activities. A scientist involved in this project said that as long as the spaceship is put into orbit, it will run back and forth between the earth and Mars like a never-ending bus.