This article was originally published in Conversation. (opens in a new tab) The publication posted an article on Space.com Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Ian Whitaker (opens in a new tab)senior lecturer in physics, University of Nottingham Trent
Not so long ago, billionaires competed to get to the “edge of space.” Now the first group of private citizens is preparing for a flight on the SpaceX shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS). Unlike short “joyful trips (opens in a new tab)“Richard Branson and Jeff Bezas, this mission will reach the altitude of approximately 400 km required to dock with the ISS.
The mission of the American commercial aerospace company Axiom Space is a major step forward in private space travel and is part of a plan to build a private space station. With the recent release of Russia (opens in a new tab) By working with the ISS, the world will monitor whether the private sector can be trusted to provide reliable access to space for peaceful research.
The launch of the Ax-1 mission is scheduled for April 6 with the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor spacecraft (opens in a new tab) – the same thing that astronauts use (opens in a new tab) in 2020 – aboard the Falcon 9. The mission is scheduled to last ten days, eight of which will be on the ISS.
Live updates: A private Ax-1 mission to the space station
Due to the high altitude and long duration the training was lengthy. The conceptual mission has been a plan since the founding of Axiom Space in 2016 by Iranian-American businessman Kamal Gafarian. (opens in a new tab) (who also founded the private company for the production of nuclear reactors X-energy) and Michael T. Suffredini (opens in a new tab) (who had a long career at NASA). And while NASA is funding some costs, each of the four participants is reportedly required to make its own contribution of $ 55 million (£ 42 million). (opens in a new tab) too.
Astronauts on board will feel weightless for most of the ten days and are at risk from danger (opens in a new tab) by all astronauts, including radiation exposure, muscle degradation, and potentially some bone loss. Although with such a short mission, these risks are extremely low.
Unlike standard American ISS trips, the mission is located at Axiom headquarters in Houston, not owned by NASA. Although this is the first time it has been used for a full mission, it has previously been used to study how elements on the ISS change over time. This led to the MCC-A (Flight Control Center – Axiom) being confirmed as a payload operations site (opens in a new tab) NASA.
The crew
All astronauts on board are private citizens, and mission commander Michael Lopez-Allegria, a former NASA astronaut. The other three members, Larry Connor, Ayton Stebie and Mark Patty, the company describes as “entrepreneurs” and “investors”.
Although if you are thinking of a stereotypical suitable investor who is going into space, then think again. The origins of these three people are very impressive and suggest that any of them could already have been selected as a space agency astronaut, including a private pilot and a military pilot.
Looking more closely at their origins, it becomes clear that charity is at the heart of those chosen for this mission, and each is known for giving to their communities. As part of this, the astronauts are planning (opens in a new tab) conduct research while on the ISS to find out how space travel will affect the health of future astronauts – including vision, pain and sleep. Food cultivation experiments are also planned – all of which are relevant topics that require research for future private space events.
This is a very positive and desirable step forward. Usually researchers become available to researchers collected by space agencies (opens in a new tab) (usually after the embargo period). If private researchers are willing to do the same, it means an era of accelerated research and technology.
The first private space station
The Ax-1 mission is the first part of Axiom Space’s plan to build the first private space station. It is a considerable feat; The ISS itself had to be built in pieces (opens in a new tab)and then sent for construction into space. The total mass of the space station weighing 420 tons is simply impossible to launch into space in one flight. For comparison, this is the same as the launch of James Webb’s 70 space telescopes (opens in a new tab) immediately.
It took more than ten years and 30 launches to complete the ISS. Axiom’s plan is to build a space station aboard the ISS, initially building a residential module (Axiom Hub One) (opens in a new tab)whose launch is expected in 2024. Undoubtedly, once this module works, this module will host and join more modules as funding for the company arrives.
As the ISS is scheduled to be decommissioned sometime after 2030, an open international space station will be needed. Although the maintenance of the space station costs a lot, NASA and ESA will at least pay for the rent (opens in a new tab) use funds on such a private space station.
Many private firms will follow the Ax-1 mission to decide whether to pursue their own programs. Success will mean that there may suddenly be an influx of investment and plans for future space station modules or entire stations. If so, space agencies have to come to terms with the fact that they will not be able to compete with the private sector. Instead, it would be wise for them to focus on renting private space and conducting research in the public domain.
I wish the first four private astronauts success in their mission and hope that they will bring a lot of data in which both researchers and the general public can learn.
This article is republished from Conversation (opens in a new tab) under a Creative Commons license. Read original article (opens in a new tab).
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