Comments on: First Hotel In Space to Open http://www.bloggernews.net/19318 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:14:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: John Jackson http://www.bloggernews.net/19318#comment-74043 John Jackson Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:39:42 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/19318#comment-74043 I'm surprised how much play this story is getting considering how little evidence there is that this is little more than someone's joke design project for fun. Especially when there is another, more legitimate company like Bigelow Aerospace that also intends on having a private space station by 2012 but can back that up with TWO test modules actually in space and actually has a manufacturing facility. I mean, the reporter takes their word for it when they say some American who they can't name is giving them $3 billion. I figure I could got to the same reporter and say someone is giving me a couple billion to build the world's biggest saussage and it will make the headlines the next day. Not sure how much competition to Bigelow they really are, and I also have doubts about their $3 billion funding figure. I think we need more proof than their word. Bigelow has: - A manufacturing plans currently building the modules for its stations - A corporate structure - Two test modules currently in space - A concrete business plan - More than 100 employees Galactic Suite has: - A Web site with nice illustrations. Though its strange title font looks like it was done in Microsoft Paint. This seems like little more than a nice Web site and fancy illustrations. Galactic Suite also seems to indicate it would use the Space Shuttle for construction, which would be news to NASA, which plans to put the orbiters in the Smithsonian by 2010. Seems like more vaporware to me. I'd rather put my money on Bigelow to build the first private space station. Bigelow put up some cool, REAL pictures from space on this page: http://bigelowaerospace.com/out_there/view_photos.php. I’m surprised how much play this story is getting considering how little evidence there is that this is little more than someone’s joke design project for fun. Especially when there is another, more legitimate company like Bigelow Aerospace that also intends on having a private space station by 2012 but can back that up with TWO test modules actually in space and actually has a manufacturing facility.

I mean, the reporter takes their word for it when they say some American who they can’t name is giving them $3 billion. I figure I could got to the same reporter and say someone is giving me a couple billion to build the world’s biggest saussage and it will make the headlines the next day.

Not sure how much competition to Bigelow they really are, and I also have doubts about their $3 billion funding figure. I think we need more proof than their word.

Bigelow has:

- A manufacturing plans currently building the modules for its stations

- A corporate structure

- Two test modules currently in space

- A concrete business plan

- More than 100 employees

Galactic Suite has:

- A Web site with nice illustrations. Though its strange title font looks like it was done in Microsoft Paint.

This seems like little more than a nice Web site and fancy illustrations. Galactic Suite also seems to indicate it would use the Space Shuttle for construction, which would be news to NASA, which plans to put the orbiters in the Smithsonian by 2010.

Seems like more vaporware to me. I’d rather put my money on Bigelow to build the first private space station.

Bigelow put up some cool, REAL pictures from space on this page: http://bigelowaerospace.com/out_there/view_photos.php.

]]>