Comments on: Son of Transhab

By: Tony Reichhardt

Tony Reichhardt — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:31:01 +0000

Jesse and Clark — All fair points. I did say that BEAM “should cost the government less in the long run,” so I agree, Clark — NASA undoubtedly would have spent far more money than Bigelow to get to where Bigelow is today. So I wish him well. I’m just waiting, like lots of people, for the day when some of these ambitious space projects are truly self-sufficient. Maybe that day is coming soon.

By: jesse

jesse — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 02:37:44 +0000

Concerning the one thing that bothers you, I think Bigelow has said he cannot launch his private space stations until he has a good way of transporting personnel. He is waiting for SpaceX and the others to get their crewed vehicles going. 2016?

By: Clark S Lindsey

Clark S Lindsey — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:45:13 +0000

“is now selling back to the space agency its own technology”

Firstly, Bigelow spent several years and many millions of dollars to make that technology flight-worthy. NASA was nowhere close to launching systems like the Genesis spacecraft or BEAM.

Secondly, since when does NASA “own” technologies? NASA’s charter (as amended, Sec. 20112) explicitly instructs NASA to aid commercial industry and to use commercial products and services to the maximum extent possible. The US aviation industry certainly benefited from NACA, which did not take a proprietary view of its research. It saw industry as a partner to aid and not as a competitor to disparage. Technologies initially developed at NACA were made practical and affordable by industry and then “sold back” to the government to the benefit of everyone involved. The same is going on here with Bigelow.

“Once again, though, the only one stepping forward with money to make things happen is the U.S. government.”

If you think NASA on its own could have gotten a BEAM system to the ISS for $17.8M then I have a great big space station in the sky I want to sell you. Bigelow has spent about $250M on development of this habitat technology and that obviously includes funding for most of this project.