Forget Houston. This Space Balloon Will Launch You to the Edge of the Cosmos From a Floating Spaceport.

Yahoo

16-11-2024

Many design projects have started with Lego building blocks, but the ship-based launch system for Space Perspective's Spaceship Neptune balloon and capsule is a most unique and remarkable example.
'We kept buying more boxes of them as we reconfigured the mock-up,' says Taber MacCallum, who cofounded Space Perspective with his wife, Jane Poynter, in 2019 and serves as its chief technology officer.
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The complex roller system aboard the Florida outfit's 294-foot MS Voyager releases the 650-foot-long balloon and its passenger pod using a mere 200 feet of deck space. The enormous mechanized spools resemble a supersize Rube Goldberg machine, working with uncanny precision as they slowly unfurl—in a zigzagging process—the capsule's sole means of propulsion.
'The objective is to be very gentle with the balloon and not put any pressure points on it,' says MacCallum during Robb Report's recent tour of the ship. A trace amount of hydrogen is injected into the tip of the balloon, and the rollers bring it vertical before it's tethered to the capsule on the stern. 'We need just 1 percent of lift gas, since hydrogen expands as it rises,' explains MacCallum, adding that 'by the time it reaches the apogee at 100,000 feet, the balloon's fully inflated.'
While the spool arrangement for deployment is certainly innovative, the ship itself is even more noteworthy as the aerospace industry's first marine spaceport for human flights. As such, the company has worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard to follow regulations for what is, essentially, a new type of vessel.
MacCallum originally dismissed the idea of a floating launchpad, but then realized its safety case was more compelling than land-based options. No parachutes are needed for splashdown (the balloon controls the descent) and the ocean doesn't require a precise landing spot. Plus, the onboard mission control supplements the main operations center in Titusville, Fla.
'It's obviously a working ship,' says Michael Savage, Space Perspective's acting CEO, referring to Voyager's previous life as an offshore supply runner that serviced oil rigs. 'But we've done a complete overhaul and added luxury elements to it.'
The two-year $31 million refit entailed modernizing the Caterpillar engines so they could run on a low-emissions biofuel mix, rewiring for advanced electronics, and retooling the 56-foot-wide decks for the massive equipment required, which includes large tanks of hydrogen. The interior was also redone with new offices, a medical center, suites, and a salon area for the guests. In addition, restaurateur David Grutman—owner of Gekko in Miami and Komodo in Las Vegas—is providing high-end culinary experiences 'on the boat and in the capsule,' according to Savage.
Voyager's decks bustle with 15 crew and 25 technicians, all preparing for Neptune's launch as well as its remotely controlled six-hour 19-mile climb and subsequent return. Management of the journey takes place in the air-conditioned bridge, which is equipped with a collection of servers, computers, and equipment to monitor life-support systems and thermal levels across the capsule. Four satellite networks offer communications redundancy, and two rigid-inflatable tenders will initially get to the capsule and hold it in place until Voyager arrives.
A larger retrieval ship, with deck space for two capsules, will be ready for the debut commercial flight in 2026. 'It can have the capsule out of the water in 20 minutes,' says MacCallum, who foresees a fleet of similar marine spaceports in Europe and Asia. Five years since inception, the vision is now one step closer to reality: The first uncrewed flight went off without a hitch a few days after our visit, proving the viability of the floating-launchpad concept. The Legos were right.
The antithesis of the claustrophobic confines one associates with space travel, the Excelsior capsule on Spaceship Neptune is a 19-foot-high sphere with a 16-foot diameter and a living area that has 2,000 cubic feet of volume. The interior lounge, which accommodates eight guests and the captain—all in casual attire, not space suits—includes a stocked bar, a private toilet, Wi-Fi capability, and recliners that face the largest viewing areas ever found on an extraterrestrial craft. 'We've maximized overhead height, and the windows bulge outwards for a full sense of space,' says Michael Savage, acting CEOof Space Perspective.
The capsule's environmental-control and life-support system includes an air-revitalization process to recirculate cabin air, as well as active heating and cooling to maintain a comfortable environment. The computers, satellite systems, and batteries are in the lower section for crewed flights, and the conical shape of the bottom makes splashdown less jarring while serving as a stabilizing sea anchor. In the unlikely event that the balloon is damaged or malfunctions on the return from its 100,000-foot apogee, Excelsior has a total of six parachutes to safely control the descent.
'Aerospace is obsessed with weight, but we don't have to worry about every ounce and use more robust parts that can take a beating,' says Savage. 'We've estimated the capsule can do 1,000 flights as long as we maintain it.' In other words, the very definition of sustainability.
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