- Excalibur Almaz
Excalibur Almaz is a
private spaceflight company which plans to orbit manned spacecraft, by using modernized "TKS" space capsules and "Almaz " space stations, derived from the formerly secretSoviet space program . Missions will support orbitalspace tourism , and provide test beds for experiments in amicrogravity environment .pacecraft
The "TKS"-derived
space capsule s resemble American "Gemini" capsules, but unlike the two-person "Gemini", they are reusable, and can carry three passengers or operate autonomously. They can launch atop any of several rockets of various spacefaring countries, and they possess aLaunch Escape System to ensure the safety of their passengers. They use parachutes andretrorocket s to return to Earth, touching down on land or on water.The "Almaz"-derived
space station s are closely related to modules used on theInternational Space Station , and on the Soviet and Russian "Salyut " and "Mir " space stations. This is because the design of the original Almaz (Salyut 2,3, and 5) stations was used as a basis for capsules on Mir and ISS. Excalibur Almaz’s space stations will feature the largest windows ever on spacecraft.Company
Excalibur Almaz is based in
Douglas, Isle of Man , with offices inHouston andMoscow . The company owns its spacecraft but contracts expert services, including refurbishment, launch, control, and recovery.Company founders include: CEO and
space law expert Art Dula, CFO and space commercialization veteran Buckner Hightower, and Sales & Marketing Vice President Chris Stott. Stott is also CEO of ManSat and on the board of theInternational Space University . Chief of spacecraft operations isLeroy Chiao , formerly aNASA astronaut and Commander of the International Space Station.Advisory Board members include: former
Johnson Space Center Director,George Abbey ; formerKennedy Space Center Director and former President ofLockheed Martin Space Operations, Jay Honeycutt; formerspace shuttle astronaut and VASIMR plasma rocket engine inventor,Franklin Chang-Diaz ; formerEuropean Space Agency astronautJean-Loup Chrétien , and former Russiancosmonaut s,Vladimir Titov andYuri Glazkov .ources
Siddiqi, Asif A., "The Almaz Space Station Complex: A History". 1964-1992, part 1, JBIS, Vol 54, No 11/12, November/December 2001.
External links
* [http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/histind/Almprog/almprog.htm Grahn, Sven. ‘’The Almaz Space Station Complex’’ ]
* [http://www.astronautix.com/craft/almaz.htm Wade, Mark. ‘’Almaz’’ ]
* [http://www.russianspaceweb.com/almaz.html Russian Space Web. ‘’The Almaz Program’’ ]
* [http://excaliburalmazobserver.blogspot.com/ Excalibur Almaz Observer Blog]
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