Russian Spacecraft Crashes as Russia Plans Space Hotel

Just as a Russian company announced its big idea to build an orbiting hotel 217 miles above earth, a Russian Progress M-12M cargo ship has crashed into the Altai Republic failing to reach orbit.

The accident took place just five minutes after it was launched from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan on Wednesday due to a failure of the rocket's upper stage motor. It was expected to reach a near-Earth orbit around 9 minutes after launch.

Meanwhile, Orbital Technologies plans to build a hotel in space with seven rooms costing $1 million for a five-day stay including lunar sightseeing flights, Reuters reported.


http://newyork.ibtimes.com/articles/203422/20110824/russia-spacecraft-crash-launch-orbit-space-hotel.htm

I wonder if they give group discounts? What if I only want 3 days? As with so many things, I cannot believe there is this amount of money floating around out there, and a seemingly unending group of people who can afford it, and consider it a priority. harumph

This is public stuff. Perhaps the Presidential Suite serves "real" food.



Sorry. A bit of time on my hands today, and a snarky attitude. :op

That's too bad. That hotel idea sounds cool, but it's out of my range. I'd settle for an hour in a TR3B! I once watched a Russian satellite re-enter in a dozen pieces, on a very dark night. I was with an intoxicated person who thought they were hallucinating! Years later, I told someone this story -- about 45 minutes before the Space Shuttle reentry disaster. Strange. I hope that big fire doesn't slow down Richard Branson's private space flight efforts. But obviously, space flight needs to be properly supervised and regulated. I wonder what the Chinese plans are for commercial space flight? I once watched James Bond attempting reentry. I like to watch. Here's a bit of fiction I wrote a while ago:

I see a Navy Sea Stallion helicopter looming in the distance - with rotor spinning - waiting to devour me. My rendezvous with destiny is imminent. As we pull up alongside the helicopter - I turn to thank Agent Scranton for the ride - and I notice that his eyes have vertical slits instead of round pupils. I gasp slightly, and he notices my surprise, and laughingly shakes his head, saying 'you haven't seen anything yet! I'm just a 70% human/30% reptile hybrid - and I forgot to put my contacts in when I got the call to pick you up! Sorry about that! I still don't like you - but good-luck anyway!' My hand is shaking as I shake Scranton's hand - and I stumble and fall as I run toward the waiting helicopter. Is this the Helicopter to Hell?

The pilot and co-pilot greet me, as I climb aboard the Sea Stallion helicopter. The door closes with a dull thud - and off we go, into the wild blue yonder! But something is wrong! This seems more like a spacecraft than a helicopter! The helicopter exterior was a hologram! Suddenly everything is dark - and I look out the window - and see thousands of very bright stars! Then I realize that I am onboard an antigravity craft! The co-pilot turns to me, saying, 'Welcome to Astra Airlines!' 'Oh My God!', I exclaim. 'Where the hell are we going?' 'We're just taking you to the International Space Station.' 'Just?!' 'What's going to happen there?' 'You'll find out soon enough. They don't tell us anything. We only know enough to do our jobs properly. Curiosity kills cats, careers - and sometimes it even kills people.'

I suddenly feel light-headed and euphoric. I seem to be in sort of a waking dream-state. I seem to be experiencing a prophetic vision. I see a church in California...in my mind's eye...with a group of well-dressed and solemn people meeting with Lucifer (who is dressed in black with a long cape) and looks like a combination of Ra in Stargate and Anna in 'V', and is very cold and stoic. The subject is theology, governance...and transition of power. The conditions have finally been met...which require Lucifer to transfer control of the solar system to Michael/????/Horus/Jesus/???? and 10,000 human beings. Lucifer is furious...and is arrogantly hissing 'We had you fooled!' 'What took you so long!' 'We didn't think you could do it!' 'You got out of our grasp just in time!' 'If you only knew what we had planned for you!' 'OK...you can try to rule yourselves!' 'Good luck! You're going to need it!' 'If you only knew what we've been through because of you!' 'If you only knew what we've had to do to keep you alive!' 'We were good to you!' With that...Lucifer rises...struts out of the room...and into an elevator...which descends to an unkown sub-level...boards a waiting leviton train...travels to Pine Gap, Australia at twice the speed of sound...and boards a mothership...filled with hardcore followers (humans, reptilians, and greys)...destination - Sirius. The date: December 21, 2012.

(Reuters) - A Russian Soyuz space capsule with three astronauts on board landed safely in Kazakhstan on Friday, leaving a single three-man crew aboard the International Space Station. U.S. astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Andrey Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyaev, who had manned the station since April, appeared in good health after landing on the Kazakh steppe at 0959 local time (0359 GMT). We now can confirm that Soyuz TMA-21 has landed," an announcer on NASA television said. He later described a "bullseye landing."

The Soyuz capsule landed on its side, whipping up plumes of dust as it settled on the steppe 92 miles southeast of the city of Zhezkazgan.

Samokutyaev was first to emerge, appearing in good spirits as a doctor performed initial medical checks, live pictures broadcast by NASA television showed.

read more at link above...