Space capsule to send first Singaporean into space unveiled

[webfact]

Space capsule to send first Singaporean into space unveiled



SINGAPORE: -- A local company's project to send the first Singaporean into space on National Day next year (2015) reached another milestone on Saturday, with the space capsule unveiled at Resorts World Sentosa, The Straits Times reported.

But coming soon after a Virgin Galactic rocket ship’s crash in the United States on Friday, the company, IN.Genius, stressed at the event the “over-designed” safety aspects of its own vessel, and the lower risk of the project.

IN.Genius hopes to launch a pilot from Singapore in a helium stratospheric balloon craft into near-space, more than 20km above sea level.

The company’s founder and director Lim Seng said there were risks associated with any space project, but added that the use of a balloon instead of rockets to launch the Singapore craft lessened the danger.

The capsule is 2m by 2m by 3m and weighs 400kg without a pilot. It consists of a pressurised aluminium vessel, a steel outer frame with a fibre-glass shell, and crush pads. The pads alone are made of a 10-inch thick cell-paper honeycomb and a base of Kevlar, and can withstand up to 40 g-forces to provide shock absorption during landing.

Twelve pilot candidates have been chosen from more than 150 applicants, and will be further whittled down before the launch.

A laboratory rat will be used in a test flight in India in January, and the first manned flight, to 4,000m above sea level, is set to take place in Australia in April next year.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/space-capsule-send-first-singaporean-space-unveiled/


-- Thai PBS 2014-11-03

[NeverSure]

He's not going to wear a veil when he goes into space?????

[cloudhopper]

Sorry Singapore but "space" begins at 100 km, and 20 km is not "near" that altitude. Airplanes were already flying way higher many decades ago LOL.

[Lupatria]

Sorry Singapore but "space" begins at 100 km, and 20 km is not "near" that altitude. Airplanes were already flying way higher many decades ago LOL.

Space starts where LKY says it starts. And even if the guy in the capsule is from Papua New Guinea he will get citizenship after safe landing like the first "Singaporean" who climbed Mount Everest.

If they build the box and the balloon a little bigger the entire "nation" could go on the trip- and hardly anyone will recognize they are missing.

[Emster23]

"A laboratory rat will be used in a test flight in India in January, and the first manned flight, to 4,000m above sea level, is set to take place in Australia in April next year." They will need to watch out for commercial airliners as they will still be heading up to cruising altitude of 32,000 feet vs the 13,000 or so feet this spacecraft will be floundering around in.... I thought Singapore had more sense than this.

[mutha289]

And the purpose of this is . . . .????

[Halion]

Novel idea, but why not send the lot of them.