Space hotel

[bearnard97]

I`ve bumped into some interesting article and I wanna share it with you and hear your thoughts about that project. The world`s first space hotel is slated to open in 2027 . Orbital Assembly Corporation, the group behind Voyager Station, has announced plans to begin building the hotel in low Earth orbit in 2025. The hotel will be able to accomodate 400 people and it will have a cinema, gyms, health spa, reastaurants, libraries and more stuff

World's First Luxury Space Hotel Slated To Open in 2027

Voyager Station is expected to begin construction in 2025.

hypebeast.com

 

[TomcatViP]

There is one major problem here: the structure need to be completed to offer most of its amenities: artificial gravity being an essential component of the end-design marketed here, there won't be any significant source of profits prior to its full achievement. This does not work in the Space industry where contingency is inherent to this market.

There is some solutions.

 

[bearnard97]

There is one major problem here: the structure need to be completed to offer most of its amenities: artificial gravity being an essential component of the end-design marketed here, there won't be any significant source of profits prior to its full achievement. This does not work in the Space industry where contingency is inherent to this market.

There is some solutions.

Actually this consept seems interesting. But as you have already mentioned there are some scientific problems that are needed to be solved before this project starts building. Also, as for me I don`t see any nessecity of this space hotel. Just imagine how much it would cost to build it. I assume we have more important stuff in space exploration. ( not taking into consideration issues we have on Earth )

 

[yasotay]

@TomcatViP - dangit! There you go ruining my dreams of winning the lottery and getting a vacation in space!

 

[Grey Havoc]

Washington Post story (may not be available in some areas):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2021/03/03/space-hotel-orbital-assembly/

(Registration or subscription may be required)

 

[TomcatViP]

I am sorry @yasotay if I ripped the fun out of it...
The first Bourbon bubble (microgravity) is on me!

 

[Grey Havoc]

Ah, the classics...

 

[yasotay]

I am sorry @yasotay if I ripped the fun out of it...
The first Bourbon bubble (microgravity) is on me!

"Bourbon bubble" - that alone would have been worth the price of admission!

 

[Dilandu]

There is one major problem here: the structure need to be completed to offer most of its amenities: artificial gravity being an essential component of the end-design marketed here, there won't be any significant source of profits prior to its full achievement. This does not work in the Space industry where contingency is inherent to this market.

Well, the simplest artificial gravity station is the habitat module and counterweight (solar panel array, for example) on a long axis. Not as elegant as fancy ring station, of course, but substantially cheaper (and faster) to build.

 

[Michel Van]

They are not the First

A Japanese Company study also Space Hotel in 1980s/1990s
and one of the Frist was Astropolis concept by Krafft A. Enricke

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/astropolis-by-krafft-a-ehricke.36208/

 

[Rhinocrates]

There is one major problem here: the structure need to be completed to offer most of its amenities: artificial gravity being an essential component of the end-design marketed here, there won't be any significant source of profits prior to its full achievement. This does not work in the Space industry where contingency is inherent to this market.

There is some solutions.

Provided you can access rim modules or groups of them via the hub or a full-ring corridor which you then plug the modules into - which would be an essential safety measure anyway - it can be useable when the ring is not yet complete. There's an example in loading test tubes into a laboratory centrifuge: you have to keep it balanced, but if there are 12 slots, like the hours on a clock, it's easy to have a symmetrical arrangement or superimpose more than one.

E.g.

2 modules: 12, 6
3 modules: 12, 4, 8
4 modules: 12, 3, 6, 9
5 modules: 12, 6 + 3-module setup upside down at 6, 10, 2, or 12, 4, 8 + 3, 9
6 Modules: 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

And so on.

That said, I'd be concerned about the economics. The Great Eastern failed as a transatlantic passenger liner because there wasn't a market big enough to pay for it at the time. There were much bigger ships, but that was decades later (it was most successful laying cables). I think a sensible design would be one that can generate substantial revenue well before completion, meaning a variety of types of clients, not just tourists - such as experimental and industrial facilities at lower AG nearer the axis (how would rats grow at lunar or Mars gravity?) and microgravity ones on the axis.

 

[Justo Miranda]

Ah, the classics...

Ah, the classics...

 

[Dilandu]

That said, I'd be concerned about the economics. The Great Eastern failed as a transatlantic passenger liner because there wasn't a market big enough to pay for it at the time. There were much bigger ships, but that was decades later (it was most successful laying cables). I think a sensible design would be one that can generate substantial revenue well before completion, meaning a variety of types of clients, not just tourists - such as experimental and industrial facilities at lower AG nearer the axis (how would rats grow at lunar or Mars gravity?) and microgravity ones on the axis.

Agreed. While the ring station concept is very attractive, the simpler axis-based rotating station would be much cheaper to build, much simpler, and could perform the whole functions.

 

[bearnard97]

There is one major problem here: the structure need to be completed to offer most of its amenities: artificial gravity being an essential component of the end-design marketed here, there won't be any significant source of profits prior to its full achievement. This does not work in the Space industry where contingency is inherent to this market.

Well, the simplest artificial gravity station is the habitat module and counterweight (solar panel array, for example) on a long axis. Not as elegant as fancy ring station, of course, but substantially cheaper (and faster) to build.

I am not the specialist in the area of building such things but still I assume that it`s rather expencive thing to build and as for me it`s completely needless and useless. On the Earth`s orbit we already have a lot of space junk which became the issue for space companies.

 

[Dilandu]

I am not the specialist in the area of building such things but still I assume that it`s rather expencive thing to build and as for me it`s completely needless and useless. On the Earth`s orbit we already have a lot of space junk which became the issue for space companies.

There is nothing needless and useless in exploration of space. While space tourism may not seems as heroic as scientific flights, we could not claim Space, as long as it could be entered only by heroes.

From the purely pragmatical point of view, rotating space hotel would be an extremely valuable laboratory for artificial gravity research; it could simulate conditions for all scale from zero-g to 1-g continuously. We could investigate the prolonged effects of, say, Martian gravity on peoples. We could research the behavior of different systems and materials in changing gravity conditions. For example, how the liquefied substance could solidify under changing gravity (simulated by moving the test rig from the center of rotation)?

 

[Archibald]

Ah, the classics...

Ah, the classics...

My 7-years old kid has just discovered the world of Tintin. The Castafiore Parrot was an instant hit with him.
Notably when Haddock angrily shout at the stupid and irritating animal; and the silly thing avenge by just headbutting the captain with its beak. Tintin has to urgently exfiltrate the parrot for fear Haddock roast it with potatoes...

This very scene, actually. It is orchestrated like a fine-tuned comedy. Imagine: the Castafiore singing in the background, then the phone call, then the parrot, then the whole thing collapsing into whackiness. No surprise Haddock end blowing a fuse.

 

[bearnard97]

I am not the specialist in the area of building such things but still I assume that it`s rather expencive thing to build and as for me it`s completely needless and useless. On the Earth`s orbit we already have a lot of space junk which became the issue for space companies.

There is nothing needless and useless in exploration of space. While space tourism may not seems as heroic as scientific flights, we could not claim Space, as long as it could be entered only by heroes.

From the purely pragmatical point of view, rotating space hotel would be an extremely valuable laboratory for artificial gravity research; it could simulate conditions for all scale from zero-g to 1-g continuously. We could investigate the prolonged effects of, say, Martian gravity on peoples. We could research the behavior of different systems and materials in changing gravity conditions. For example, how the liquefied substance could solidify under changing gravity (simulated by moving the test rig from the center of rotation)?

Artificial gravity can be tested even on Earth without spendind a fortune on the space playground. This money can be invested in real space projects and missions which can approach us to some important openings

 

[Dilandu]

Artificial gravity can be tested even on Earth without spendind a fortune on the space playground.

How do you simulate Martian gravity on Earth continuously for a hour?

This money can be invested in real space projects and missions which can approach us to some important openings

Excuse me, is this your money?

 

[TomcatViP]

Ah guys.. Like @Dilandu suggests, let's not make everything a moralistic topic where species survival is at risk. Anything built up there would lower launch cost and nurture an ecosystem full of influx for more serious things.

And last but not least, imagine yourself having your honeymoon in relaxed gravity... Wouldn't that sounds so cool?

 

[Justo Miranda]

During my honeymoon I lost a lot of calcium, I guess at Zero-G it must be worse

 

[shin_getter]

The Space Review: The enduring fantasy of space hotels

 

[bearnard97]

Ah guys.. Like @Dilandu suggests, let's not make everything a moralistic topic where species survival is at risk. Anything built up there would lower launch cost and nurture an ecosystem full of influx for more serious things.

And last but not least, imagine yourself having your honeymoon in relaxed gravity... Wouldn't that sounds so cool?

I am still convinced that this is less important stuff to do concerning space exploration department. This department has a lot of stuff that needs to be solved in further possibility discover something new in space. Yes, this is an interesting project to do but lets not forget some more important issues which we still need to solve.

 

[kitnut617]

IMHO, I think they're jumping the gun ---- there is ISS at the moment but what is needed now is something bigger, and orbiting about midway between here and the moon. Let this be the way to something such as hotels ---

 

[Sherman Tank]

I'll believe in this space hotel when it's in orbit and accepting customers. Until then it's more vaporware PR nonsense that might as well be a setting in a Bond movie.

 

[edwest4]

This Luxurious Hotel In Space Could Open As Early As Next Year

The universe's first space hotel is in development and slated to welcome guests as early as 2025. Rooms will overlook the earth and moon.

bostonuncovered.com

 

[Sherman Tank]

It's not opening next year.