Space stowaways

I wanted to expand a little bit idea of using space for entertainment purposes. Since it is obvious that most people will not have a chance to visit space in their lifetime, (including myself), the question is there a next best thing. There is an obvious and existing "need"  among general population for space related "experiences" that so far has not been addressed properly by the economic development. Primary reasons are high investment cost and risk. Space travel has so far been expensive and above economic threshold that could make it sustainable. For decades various companies and government organizations tried (and still try) to address this problem. And all of them have failed so far.

As I outlined in the previous post, successful space business has to bring value back to Earthlings. So far telecommunications, remote sensing and navigation proved to be viable businesses to governments, organizations and individuals across the world. The average cost per transferred bit or sensed pixel has been steadily going down. But space tourism, although seen as a holy grail (or silver bullet or killer app for space) fails to materialize.

Novel approaches are needed to expand the total investment into space activities. How can entertainment help? Watching recent launch of OA-6 Cygnus mission gave me an idea. This mission will end in a month. Then Cygnus will separate from ISS, carrying trash and prepare to go down to its fiery death in the atmosphere. This beautiful, fully capable spaceship will be destroyed mainly because there is no further need for it.Of course, it will do some secondary activities, like launching cubesats and staging on-board fire. But what if, on some future Cygnus mission, there are several mini-robots stashed inside? Small, miniature robots with HD cameras, processing power, movable arms and WI-Fi connectivity. Add wireless chargers and Made-In-Space 3D printer, and outer shell that can survive atmospheric reentry. To make robots easier to identify with, they could take the form of Kerbals,  or some other popular characters (for example Minions).

This setup and hardware enables online role playing game based on real situation and the hardware. The story line would be as follows: After ISS separation, special press conference is held, announcing that several robotic stowaways are found aboard Cygnus. They are in great danger, facing inevitable death as Cygnus has to reenter into atmosphere in a few weeks or months. They can communicate to Earth, receiving commands and send their camera feeds. Cygnus is autonomous, and cannot be controlled from Earth. A help is needed by volunteers to rescue the robots. They need to assist them to take over control over the ship, open the hatch, enter into reentry shell before Cygnus starts to disintegrate. Time is of essence.

Gamers/volunteers would first need to practice in the online simulator - virtual reality game. Only the best will be given a chance to take control over the robots. On-board 3D printer would be used to prepare any shapes that would be of assistance during the rescue operation. For example, it could be used to build customized space suits for the robots. Live video feeds would be distributed over the Internet to all participants. If they manage to board into the rescue vehicle and survive the reentry, they can be recovered and possibly reactivated on Earth. Their rescuers would be invited to the celebration event. If the rescue fails, there is a new chance in six months.

Framing the story in this way would make it possible to marry space capabilities with online gaming and motion picture entertainment. Gaming companies need appealing story lines that can lead to franchises like World of Warcraft. And if gamers would be successful in performing real world rescue tasks, why not using the same technology on ISS down the line? Telepresence is something that would enable anybody in the world to experience space environment  for a fraction of the cost of the "real thing". 

There are technology constraints that need to be addressed. Number one is the down-link bandwidth cost, since this type of venture would require multiple concurrent HD video feeds. The second issue is whether robots could function during direct exposure to vacuum. Small reentry vehicles are still under development (not yet proven technology). But this type of venture would bring benefits to all participants and broaden the market for space companies. Orbital ATK would suddenly be much cooler than SpaceX. Made in Space could be payed to iterate their 3D printer and test it in space every 6 months. The same would apply to Intuitive Machines TRV. And if Minions the movie generated over a billion dollars in Box-Office revenue, would followup movie rights be valued at least 10% of that sum? And how much could online MMORPG based on the space stowaways be valued? Popular MMORPG titles easily generate over $100 million per year, and the most successful of them all is in the range of billion dollars per year. NASA and ISS would get free marketing, generating much of the interest among younger population. ESA could participate with their EDRS based SpaceDataHighway, giving 1.8Gbit down-link capability, capable of 90 concurrent HDTV feeds. The best thing of all - it would use existing or near term capabilities and hardware, that have already been paid for. And for me personally - this is a game I would love to play with my kids.