DocM Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 NewSpace company Excalibur Almaz is going to show their space station module & crew vehicle in the UK June 18th. While not well known to the public, their board and management is full of former NASA and Russian space program types. Watch these guys.... http://www.excaliburalmaz.com/ SpaceRef.... Excalibur Almaz to showcase space stations, spaceship on Isle of ManCategory: Space Commercialization Event Format: Media Opportunity Date: Saturday, June 18, 2011 Location: Douglas, Isle of Man UK DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN, June 6, 2011 -- For the first time since arriving on the Isle of Man, Excalibur Almaz Limited will showcase its two space stations and Reusable Return Vehicle (RRV) to the general public June 18. The space stations, one a near-completed test unit and the other a space station frame, arrived from Russia earlier this year and have been undergoing evaluation and testing at a former Royal Air Force Station hangar in Jurby. The RRV is the other element of EA's family of space systems that will be on display. It will serve as the transport vehicle to and from the space stations in orbit. The public event will provide visitors the opportunity to tour EA's facility in Jurby, speak with EA representatives, and learn more about the future of the commercial space industry. The public viewing hours on Saturday will be from 10am-5pm at Unit 267, Jurby Industrial Estate, Jurby, Isle of Man, British Isles. Click here for directions to the event. Prior to the public event media representatives will have an opportunity to view the stations and interview EA spokesperson Cosmonaut Valery Tokarev June 16-17. For more information contact media@excaliburalmaz.com. About Excalibur Almaz: Excalibur Almaz's mission is to become the world leader in providing reliable, affordable and routine access to space for exploration, experimentation, and tourism for customers around the world. EA plans to accomplish this by leveraging proven flight tested products and systems from US, European, and Russian space programs to create value, reduce costs, and development time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neoadorable Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 they do have some big shots in there, but i suspect some big shots that are responsible for the state of our space exploration efforts...and you know i mean that in the kindest way, Doc. i'm just frustrated to hell. we need to get moving. if these guys can help, then so be it. the more new space we have, the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 EA's getting serious - SpaceRef story.... http://excaliburalmaz.com/ Headquartered in Houston and the UK, NewSpace company Excalibur Almaz has entered into a Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA for its Commercial Crew Development Level 2 program (CCDev-2). Astrium (propulsion, guidance etc.), Paragon (life support), USA (Shuttle mission integrators) and Lockheed Martin (systems engineering & integration) are partners. This SAA is unfunded by NASA, but then Lockheed Martin and Shuttle SRB maker ATK also have unfunded SSA's for the Liberty launcher. What EA gains is access to NASA's centers and facilities for testing and analysis. What NASA gains is another layer of redundancy in the program. EA was founded by several former high level managers and aerospace engineers from NASA and the Russian space program. Their hardware is based on the Almaz military space station and TKS spacecraft flown by the USSR. They are taking the basic hardware and modernizing it. TKS consisted of two modules; the VA crew return capsule (AKA Merkur) and the Functional Cargo Block (FGB) which housed its orbital maneuvering system (OMS) engines, other systems and upbound cargo. The Almaz (Diamond) space station was known in the West as Salyut, the civilian cover for a mostly military project. Almaz was the only known spacecraft to have an integrated weapon, a 23 mm Nudelman rapid-fire cannon in the forward end of the station, though Soyuz flights still carry a 3-barreled rifle-shotgun combo gun in their survival packs. TKS left - Almaz right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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