SEATTLE -- It may be seen as the commercial parallel to Neil Armstrong's "one small step". Still others view it as breaking the NASA monopoly on human spaceflight.
Now being reviewed by the space agency are several proposals to develop a commercial habitation module for the International Space Station (ISS).
The prospect that such a deal is in the works was intimated by several speakers at the Space Enterprise Symposium, held here November 13 at the Museum of Flight, Boeing Field.
According to Boeing's Brent Sherwood, business development manager for the company's reusable space systems, a "very capable and technically competent international coalition of companies, both from aerospace and financial companies," submitted on November 12 a proposal to NASA for providing commercial lodging services on the ISS.
At issue is the commercialization of an inflatable structure called the TransHab. This hardware has undergone extensive testing at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The inflatable module offers far more volume to ISS crews over that of the "hard" habitation module that has been under construction for station use.
Such an inflatable module has also been eyed as a key component for use on the moon as well as Mars. But technical issues, escalating cost and Congressional pressure to not add more uncertainty to the ISS effort, short-circuited NASA's internal pursuit of the TransHab.
In an attempt to foster greater commercial ties to the ISS, NASA sponsored last August a hastily assembled workshop on the development of a commercial habitation module for the International Space Station.
Since that time, several teams and consortia have pulled their respective plans together. Space.com has learned that these proposals are now under NASA review. A mid-December decision by NASA to go forward with one or more proposals is a target date. If the government decides to move on the concept, the U.S.-led ISS project would become the site of a privately-owned structure attached to the station. This, in turn, could foster other private ventures using the TransHab -- from computing and the internet, to advertising, to space passenger travel, said Boeing's Sherwood.
According to a congressional source, some type of TransHab joint venture between NASA and the private sector is afoot. One scenario would be for the government to own part of the module. NASA, the source said, would share in the profits based on how much money the TransHab acquires commercially.
Further details on the type of arrangement, any necessary legislation, the scope of NASA's authority to pursue such a deal, and what next-step actions are required should be forthcoming over the next few weeks, the source noted.
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