Daily Mail:

A New York architecture firm has unveiled designs for a skyscraper that is out of this world.

Deemed the ‘world’s tallest building ever’, Analemma Tower will be suspended from an orbiting asteroid 31,068 miles (50,000 km) above the Earth– and the only way to leave is by parachute.

The orbital path would swing the tower in a figure eight pattern between the northern and southern hemispheres each day, taking residents on a tour through different parts of the world – all in just a 24 hour orbital cycle. …

The design will use a system called the Universal Orbital Support System (UOSS), which attaches a high strength cable to an asteroid that is lowered to Earth and then attached to the tower.

‘Since this new tower typology is suspended in the air, it can be constructed anywhere in the world and transported to its final location,’ Clouds Architecture Office shared on its website.

‘The proposal calls for Analemma to be constructed over Dubai, which has proven to be a specialist in tall building construction at one fifth the cost of New York City construction.’ …

The massive skyscraper will be setup in sections and each with a designated purpose.

Business will be conducted at the lower end of the towers and sleeping quarters will be positioned two-thirds of the way up the building.

Residents will also have access to a gardening area, a place for worship and in the bottom level will be sections for dining, shopping and entertainment.

The architects plan to take full advantage of the skyscraper’s location and will place solar panels at the upper most levels to generate power from the sun.

And residents will enjoy fresh water from condensation of clouds and rainwater, which will be collected and purified. …

The tower would travel on a figure eight path over certain major cities in the northern and southern hemispheres – this includes New York City, Havana, Atlanta and Panama City.

And the amount of daylight increases by 40 minutes at the top of the tower due to the curvature of the Earth.

‘Analemma can be placed in an eccentric geosynchronous orbit which would allow it to travel between the northern and southern hemispheres on a daily loop,’ Clouds Architecture Office explained.

‘The ground trace for this pendulum tower would be a figure eight, where the tower would move at its slowest speed at the top and bottom of the figure eight allowing the possibility for the towers occupants to interface with the planet’s surface at these points.’

‘The proposed orbit is calibrated so the slowest part of the towers trajectory occurs over New York City.’

while researching atmospheric conditions for the project, the team discovered that there is most likely a height that people could not tolerate due to the extreme conditions.

‘For example, while there may be a benefit to having 45 extra minutes of daylight at an elevation of 32,000 meters, the near vacuum and -40C temperature would prevent people from going outside without a protective suit,’ shared Clouds Architecture Office.

‘Then again, astronauts have continually occupied the space station for decades, so perhaps it’s not so bad?’

Read the whole thing.

NASA is busy trying to improve the self-esteem of Saracens, but take heart, space exploration enthusiasts. As Bill Whittle explains in a 13:15 PJM video, private enterprise is stepping up to take on the challenge that government is in the process of abandoning.

“This wave of exploration is not dependent on the whims of Congress and whichever president happens to be in office. This wave is being launched by free and successful and visionary businessmen, pilots, designers, and engineers, not by committees of detached bureaucrats and clueless politicians.”

Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.

Saturn’s 6th moon Titan

I missed it at the time, but about a month ago (September 14), the Calgary, Alberta edition of Craigslist ran an ad (since removed) under Transportation Jobs, titled ASTRONAUT NEEDED (NORTHERN ALBERTA).

I’ve found a picture of the actual ad. Click on it again to enlarge.

The advertisement’s author said that he required someone “no taller than 5 feet 10 inches,” “relatively slim,” and “mentally sound” for an “experimental flight to Titan.”

This experimental flight represented “the result of my professional experience and imagination while serving the U.S. military in advanced aeronautics as a scientist working on this project for near 40 years.”

The spacecraft, he promised, featured “a revolutionary propulsion system and its fuselage is fabricated with the most advanced material.”

The job pays $25,000, and the successful applicant will get to see the solar system. There is a catch, though, and a big one. The proposed flight to Saturn’s moon is a one-way trip.

The advertisement’s author wrote: “I am certain you will make it safely to Titan but there will not be enough fuel to get home. This is for someone unique that has always wanted to see the universe first-hand and has perhaps a terminal view on life here at home. Here’s your shot at romantic history.”

No news yet on whether anyone volunteered, or on whether the alleged project actually exists in a remotely practicable form.

Stories: CNET and Wired.

The Telegraph:

Few hotels can offer their guests a view that boasts a sunrise 18 times in a day, but a new space tourism company is promising just that by building the first hotel in space.

Galactic Suite, a private space tourism company, is planning to build a three-bedroom hotel using pods joined together in orbit. They hope to be open for business by 2012.

But tickets for a trip aboard the Galactic Suite will not be cheap, with a three-day stay costing about £2 million.

For that price, the company claims it will train customers for their space flight on a tropical island before flying them to the hotel. Once there, they will be able to enjoy spectacular views of the Earth and experience life in zero gravity. The hotel is expected to make a complete orbit of the Earth every 80 minutes, so in 24 hours the sun will rise and set behind our planet 18 times.

Xavier Claramunt, a director with the Barcelona-based company, says they have already achieved substantial financial backing for the £3 billion project from a wealthy space enthusiast and a series of other companies.