UK proposal for Space Station modules

. The plan – which has support from the British Interplanetary Society – is for the UK to design, build and launch two modules to improve the everyday living conditions for astronauts at the Space Station. Mark Hempsell, senior lecturer in astronautics at Bristol University's Department of Aerospace Engineering, said: “This proposal shows what Britain could still achieve at a relatively modest cost, together with raising the UK's profile in the space-faring community around the world.” The British Habitation Extension Module (HEM) proposal would provide extra crew support facilities that would enable more effective crew use of the existing science laboratories. The total cost of developing building and launching the two HEMs would be £530 million, spread over five or six years to 2015.