on 21 June 2004 was a truly historic event. From the airport of the city Mojave, California soared spacecraft SpaceShipOne", designed by an Amateur inventor Bert Rotana. The machine reached a height of a hundred kilometers and successfully returned to base. Pilotasowe his 62-year-old Michael Melville became the first person, who received the title of astronaut bypassing the state space corporations. The road to space tourism is now open...

THE PROJECT "X-PRIZE"

"SpaceShipOne" at the airport

The rocket plane for suborbital flights created by Bert Rutana, is just one of many projects of private spacecraft proposed in the framework of the competition unleashed in the race for the prize of $ 10 million, which was established in 1996 by the Foundation for the X-prize" (the X PRIZE). The prize for the first person who will make a suborbital flight on a private spaceship with three tourists on Board.

The founders of the Foundation of the American city of St. Louis are not satisfied with the choice between the American space Shuttle and the Russian "Union", which have to do a potential space tourists, so they are inspired by the examples of the initial development of aviation, when various prizes stimulated aircraft designers to create more sophisticated models of planes, decided to revive this tradition. By the way, one of the main founders and Trustees of the Fund is Erik Lindbergh, the grandson of "the lone eagle" Charles Lindbergh, who in 1927 made the first in the history of a single transatlantic flight.

Their terms to the Foundation identified quite hard. First, the projects should not be financed by governments and state organizations. Second, a vehicle must earn the height of 100 kilometres (conditional border of space) and a whole to return to Earth. Third, on Board must be at least three people, which is a proof of seriousness of the team to develop space tourism. And fourth (and most difficult), the flight shall be repeated within two weeks.

For the prize of today claim two dozen teams from different countries. What structures and ways to achieve inviting a height of 100 kilometres they have not invented.

The project Bert Rutan called "Tier One" represents the combined aerospace system consisting of two machines: high-altitude aircraft and rocket plane. The eight-rocket plane "SpaceShipOne" with deltoid wing and the cabin for three persons suspended from the belly of the aircraft carrier "White Knight", similar to the giant catamaran and made a California company Scaled Composites", belonging to Rutana. Aircraft-carrier-rises to 15 kilometers, and at this height, the rocket plane is separated from him. In a few seconds after the separation of the spacecraft turns on its single rocket engine and "SpaceShipOne" starts almost vertically at an angle of 84 degrees.

The advantage of the scheme's start with a 15-km altitude in the fact that it requires less powerful engine, and due to the sparsity of atmosphere you can save on the ship's heat shield.

By the time of reaching a height of 100 kilometers, which will take a few minutes, all the fuel has already been excavated. The device will go into free fall, and three or four minutes the pilot and two passengers will enjoy a state of weightlessness.

The most difficult thing in this scheme reverse the descent, which is given about 20 minutes. No parachutes or more engines design "SpaceShipOne" - the device should just plan down, using her wings.

That's exactly what happened on July 21 - with the only difference that the cabin was not tourists. Wherefore, in order that its creators received a prize of $ 10 million, rocket plane "SpaceShipOne" will have to go into space again.

In any case, the company Scaled Composites" now far ahead of all its competitors in the field of private space, and the other teams will have to either speed up the process of preparing the launch of his ship, or admit defeat.



Canadian rocket "Canadian Arrow"

The strongest contender Bert Rutan is a canadian team "Canadian Arrow", built ballistic missile in the image and likeness of German rocket V-2" Soviet "P-2" with the fundamental difference that instead of warheads from canadian missiles will be installed in the passenger cabin. It is assumed that all of the rocket: upper stage and passenger module will return to Earth with the aid of parachutes and used repeatedly.

A team of testers "Canadian Arrow"

Another rocket gave the British company "Starchaser Industries from the famous Cheshire, founded in 1992 (that is, four years before the announcement of competition) Steve Bennett, who has been the Director of the laboratory of space technology from the University of Salford. The company was created just for designing and building of individual missiles. And to date has produced 16 launches of missiles of various models, of which 14 were successful. By the summer of 2002 British project "Starchaser V - Thunderstar" looked like a two-stage rocket with four hinged accelerators. According to the creators, it can deliver six tourists at a height of 158 kilometers.

British rocket "Starchaser V - Thunderstar"

The seven-meter two-stage rocket "Black Armadillo" tries to build the American programmer John Carmack, who glorified his name creating combat computer game "Wolfenstein", "Doom" and "Quake". It should vertically to start from the Ground, reaching a height of 105 kilometers to land by parachute after 15 minutes after takeoff. During testing, 5-6 July 2003 almost full-scale rocket was raised by helicopter and launched by parachute. Tests, according to the Carmack, were completed successfully. The rocket flew five pancakes for rod simulating the weight of the engines, and sand bags, playing the role of astronauts. When planting none of bags-astronaut is not torn. While we are working on improving missiles, "Armadillo Aerospace, established by Carmack, sells t-shirts with its own logo, strongly emphasizing that buying these things, you support the idea of creation of private spacecraft.

Quite unusual project was nominated for the "X-prize" the Israelis. Their team "IL Aerospace Technologies" works on a small rocket and capsule "HALP", which will run from a height of 25-30 kilometers, where it will first take a huge helium balloon. How are things the Israelis are unknown, though it is planned for April 2004, flight of the stratosphere balloon with the model did not take place.

Took part in this competition and Russian designers. Known for two projects.

The first is the rocket plane "ARS" ("Aerospace rally") is developed by employees of the Central scientific-research laboratory of "Astra" of the Moscow aviation Institute. It is assumed that the six-meter passenger rocket plane will rise to a height of 25 kilometers multipurpose fighter "MiG-31", which was created to fight against cruise missiles and supersonic bombers, then shoot with the suspension and follow on its own pull up to a ceiling of 120-130 km.

The second Russian project was worked out Joint-stock company "Suborbital Corporation with the participation of the Experimental machine-building plant named Myasishchev. Here also is a two-level scheme with "air start", just as the media you plan to use high-altitude aircraft M-55" ("Geofizika") of development of the plant named Myasishchev, and as a tourist ship missile module "Cosmopolis XXI" passenger capsule.

Suborbital spacecraft Cosmopolis XXI"

This last project has been widely advertised, however, as far as we know, further making beautiful wooden models is not gone. And on a wooden ship in space will not fly.

Taking into account the achievements Bert Rutan have to admit that the market for space tourism of the Russian private companies lost forever...

By the way, the ticket prices for future tourists already assigned teams fighting for the "X-prize", ranging from 20 to 70 thousand dollars, which, of course, expensive, but much cheaper 20 million, which laid out for a flight into space Dennis Tito and mark Shuttleworth.

ORBITAL STATION FOR TOURISTS

However, large space corporations don't want to part with the idea of generating extra income, which can give them space tourism. In this area Russia is definitely the leader, using the huge scientific and technical potential, passed to us in the inheritance from the Soviet Union.

However, the delivery of the first tourists to the International space station with the use of Russian Soyuz spacecraft has revealed a number of serious problems. Countries participating in the construction of the ISS, definitely vote against the presence of unauthorized persons in orbit. And the terrible death "Colombia" not only led to the revision of the space programs, but put our space industry to temporarily abandon any plans for further development of tourism.

However, in the store-room there is a very interesting project of a space station for tourists.

August 24, 2001 RosaGiacomo, RSC "Energia" named the Queen and the company "Mircorp" ("MirCorp") signed a decision, giving the right "Mircorp" search of investors and customers, and RSC "Energia" - to develop commercial visited the space station under the conditional name "Mini Station 1". The main purpose of the station construction - the implementation of commercial flights into space experiments on the orders of state organizations and private companies.

In the "Energy" from the beginning of 70-ies has developed the concept of Autonomous modules periodically pristykovyvayas to the base-station for maintenance, repair and installation of new equipment. The prototypes of the "Mini Station 1" steel projects such modules created for the orbital station "K".

"Mircorp" plans to create station together with Rosaviakosmos, NASA, ESA and other stakeholders on "ISS". Today discusses the layout thumbnails station.

"Mini Station 1" includes the basic module, transport vehicles Soyuz TMA" and cargo spacecraft Progress M1. The basic module is intended to be run on one of the modifications of the Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome. In connection with what has not yet been made on which the rocket will launch the module is not clear, and its geometrical dimensions and mass characteristics. It is planned that the working resource will be 15 years, and the station will be able to take expedition lasting up to 20 days.

The station will have the possibility of long-term Autonomous flight. To maintain her health will need only one manned Soyuz TMA" and one "Progress M1 per year.

The station will lead to the orbit of the ISS. The combination of orbit allows you to simultaneously organize a visit to "Mini Station 1" and the replacement of the crew rescue vehicles to the ISS. For this "Union" will first pristykovatsya to a private station, stay there for two or three weeks, and then to travel, and docked to the ISS. The visiting crew will leave your ship to the main station crew, and the cradle will take in the old ship rescue, which will return to Earth. A rotation takes only one day.

The launch of the "Mini Station 1" into orbit in the presence of investors to the necessary extent possible in the next five years. Officials "Mircorp" not announced a cost of the station, but some cosmic edition estimate it at $ 100 million.

EXCURSION TO MARS

Same goes by American company "space island group" ("Space Island Group"). She hopes to merge together industry, Commerce, and tourism, starting in 2004, the construction of the first of a series of private space stations for relaxation. Potential customers will be offered entertainment such as dancing and sports in partial zero gravity, remote controlled space walks orbital meditation" and able to "recharge directly from the stars".

Fundamental building block of commercial space stations will become the external fuel tank, used by the space Shuttle. Now waste tanks on ballistic trajectories enter into the dense layers of the atmosphere, breaking above the Indian ocean. However, in the 70-ies, when he developed the program "Shuttle", they were supposed to be used as building blocks for space stations, bringing them into orbit.

Minimum modifying, these tanks can be equipped moorings allow to switch from one block to another. Astronauts prepare the interior, making these modules residential and out of the empty tanks formed a number of space stations.

Space island group is considering several different ways to turn spent fuel tanks in accommodation modules. The first design, called "Geode", tank turns in high-rise tower with a bedroom, working offices and warehouses. "Gеоdе" could become the base station and the storage of fuel for large power plants, which will be called "space island. These stations consisted of 12 - 16 tanks forming tor with one or more tanks in the center.

It is assumed that 99.5 % of air, food and water at the stations can be disposed of, and most of the products is to grow and produce on the spot. Menu space of the hotel are likely to prevail chicken and fish dishes, but beef and pork have to bring from the Earth.

All stations will rotate at a rate of one revolution per minute, which will create artificial gravity is about one third of the earth. This is sufficient to cope with the adverse effects of weightlessness and to experience new sensations. Partners dances can, getting rid of a significant part of the earth's weight, enjoy outstanding ease of movement. And imagine that they can do gymnasts on horizontal bars at low gravity! Although in these conditions, probably, there will be new kinds of sport.

Astronaut Databases Aldrin (the second man to set foot on the moon) looks at the topic of tourism even wider and farther, planning to create a chain of space hotels, plying between Earth and Mars. In the project oldrina involved specialists of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University Purdue and the University of Texas.

For 20 years, the three special space ship carrying 50 passengers per flight, will establish a permanent transport connection between the two planets, and will take the necessary materials for the Foundation of the Martian colonies or organization primary tours. To reduce the cost of an eight-month journey as a driving force of the space Shuttle will be used gravity of the sun, planets and their satellites.

Calculations are dealt with James Longuski, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics University Purdue in Indianapolis. According to him, one day "launched" the hotel will move almost by inertia. Naturally, braking and acceleration to use currently available fuels, however, the main burden will fall on the gravitational interaction.

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Space tourism as a new phenomenon in our life causes conflicting responses from professionals. Some even believe that such tourism should be prohibited, because the lesson orbital transportation for millionaires discredits the very idea of manned cosmonautics. I believe this is another (and good) to support manned space flight, which is now dedicated solely to servicing the ISS. Those of professionals who doubts the "cleanliness" of space tourism, I advise you to read at your leisure proceedings of the pioneers of rocketry. Tsiolkovsky, Zander and Queens paved the way for the space not that it moved proud single - space belongs to all!