I just got word from the folks at Bigelow Aerospace — whose goal is to have an orbiting hotel for people who want a really spectacular view out their window — have tweaked a camera onboard their Genesis II satellite, and it’s now returning higher-res images. These are really stunning views of the planet, and well worth taking a look!
That’s Baja California in the background, with Genesis II suspended in front. And you should really check out their fisheye view, too! Very cool stuff.
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Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He has written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic, and fights misuses of science as well as praising the wonder of real science.
Contact me: The Bad Astronomer "at" gmail "dot" com
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April 18th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
very cool indeed
April 18th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
gotta love their idea ..now to get people to it somehow
Once they launch the hotel of course .
who will it be?? Russians? spacex?
April 18th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Thats really great. I had no knowledge about the Genesis 1 and 2 satellites. The material they are using for the walls of the expandable part are really interesting. There are some SPECS for it ..
http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/genesis_II/?Genesis_II_General_Specs
It gives me the impression of being an overgrown spacesuit.
April 18th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Uh…
April 18th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
But will it keep out the Vermicious Knids?
April 19th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Stunning images. Especially the fish eye view of the earth. What a beautiful planet we have!
Vanessa @ Future Trends in Astronomy
April 19th, 2008 at 12:48 am
Stunning images. Especially the fish eye view of the earth. What a beautiful planet we have!
April 19th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Am I the only one who thinks of Deuce Bigelow when they read this?
April 19th, 2008 at 3:58 am
This can only be lifted by the Russians – They’re the only ones left with any real heavy-lift capability. Or maybe the French.
The private ventures are still very, very far from this sort of thing. The best of them all (and the only one with any success to date) is still only sub-orbital, carrying two men (or, one man and a sack of potatos, or whatever SpaceShipOne used for ballast.)
They would have to lift at least ten times as much, at ten times the speed, to launch such satellites, and something similar to lift a crew and their supplies.
April 19th, 2008 at 6:43 am
No, I wish I could be more grown up about these things
April 19th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I’m still waiting for a webcam on the moon.
April 19th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Can’t wait till I go…in about fifty years when it become affordable.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Excellent – Great pictures!
April 20th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Why, I have to ask, isn´t inside one of this “space thingies” a BA Book? Uh?
The next “fly your stuff” should have one of them -> http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/image_gallery/?fid=9
April 20th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Why, I have to ask, isn´t inside one of this “space thingies” a BA Book? Uh?
The next “fly your stuff” should have one of them.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Double post, sheer genious -_-