Yesterday something interesting happened on the commercialization of space front; a commercial company sent a rocket into space with a prototype expandable module. What this expandable module actually is more of a component that can potentially be used for a space station component that is inflatable. The potential for this technology is great and NASA originally investigated it back when they were contemplating a Mars mission. Robert Bigelow’s company Bigelow Aerospace piggybacked on a modified cold war missile to get their satellite into orbit.



I know that this isn’t a huge deal in of itself but for those of you who have read my little blog from the beginning there are a few things that capture my interest and space is one of them. Now to further that a bit more the commercialization of space is something that fascinates me because it removes the restriction and over exuberance for safety and bureaucracy that mire the national space agencies. Another reason I really like the concept is because commercial enterprises entering a potential market will take risks to the point where people might die as a result but the goal of the team gets pushed further. I applaud these people and wish I had a fortune to be in the race with them.

Space programs don’t need billions of dollars per year to achieve their goals and the private ventures that are going forth will reinforce this point with every success that they have.

Bigelow Aerospace
Yahoo Article
Space.Com Article