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NASA try to inflate habitat on IS - again


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Blow harder! Nasa to make second attempt to inflate expandable habitat on the International Space Station

    Flight controllers will try again Saturday to expand the module

    Thursday's first effort was halted after the pod barely grew in size

    Believed compressed fabric layers kept the chamber from fully expanding

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3613361/Blow-harder-Nasa-make-second-attempt-inflate-expandable-habitat-International-Space-Station.html#ixzz49ufF6CxR

 

 

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You have to believe there are a lot of worried engineers at Bigelow right now.:(  Space can be a very humbling lace to work.

Edited by Merc14
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Did the prototype inflate successfully in a vacuum chamber on the ground, or is this field test the first try?

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I was reading about this to my kids and they were like, "What is it for?" And I said it was a test. To which they asked if anyone was going to use it. And I said that I didn't think so. Which got the reply, "What is it for?".

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56 minutes ago, DieChecker said:

I was reading about this to my kids and they were like, "What is it for?" And I said it was a test. To which they asked if anyone was going to use it. And I said that I didn't think so. Which got the reply, "What is it for?".

Priceless!

:lol:

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10 hours ago, Hammerclaw said:

Did the prototype inflate successfully in a vacuum chamber on the ground, or is this field test the first try?

i can't find any references to a vacuum test for BEAM prior to launch so I guess this is the test..

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2 hours ago, Merc14 said:

i can't find any references to a vacuum test for BEAM prior to launch so I guess this is the test..

It maybe an unfortunate case of vacuum welding where the fabric surfaces, devoid of a lubricating layer of air, have molecularly bonded.

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I think Bigelow and NASA needs to pay attention to Hammerclaws perception.

Edited by pallidin
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2 hours ago, pallidin said:

I think Bigelow and NASA needs to pay attention to Hammerclaws perception.

I concur and it sounds like Hammerclaw was correct.   :tu:   Read the below

Looks like they fixed whatever problem they were having http://www.theindychannel.com/news/national/nasa-successfully-inflates-new-space-station-room

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/25/11773212/nasa-iss-beam-expandable-habitat-live-stream

Edited by Merc14
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Not a serious problem. They'll recalculate the amount of PSI needed with this additional data they've collected. Nothing like a hands on field test to shake out the wrinkles--pun intended.;)

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Funny, I just realized I was having a cup of Bigelow Darjeeling while typing. Big family.:)

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It's a growth industry! NASA successfully inflates brand new expanding room on International Space Station - and inflatable space hotels could be next

    It took three days to fully inflate the experimental 13ft-by-10.5ft room

    But creator, hotel owner Robert Bigalow, says inflatables are the future

    Currently rooms on a space station can only be the same size as rockets

    But inflatable stations open up possibilities for massive space hotels

    The room cost NASA $17.8million and will be tested for the next two years

But founder and hotel owner Robert Bigelow believes that inflatables are the future of spaceflight, and has much bigger plans, including a pair of private inflatable space stations that he says could fly in a few years.

Normal space stations are made of rigid compartments - essentially fancy cans - that cannot be any bigger than the rocket that carries them up.  

Because expandable spacecraft can be compressed for launch, the same rockets can be used to carry compartments that provide space travelers with lots more room.

(The article also mentions habitats for Moon and Mars)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3614061/NASA-tries-inflate-new-room-space-station.html#ixzz49za5O8Wc

 

 

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18 hours ago, Merc14 said:

i can't find any references to a vacuum test for BEAM prior to launch so I guess this is the test..

I also couldn't find information on whether Bigelow had tested the BEAM in a vacuum chamber, but I think that is a huge assumption to make that just because you can't find information on something means that it didn't happen. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

In the early days of the ISS plans there was originally to be an inflatable module called TransHab. This was cancelled by Congress in 2000. Bigelow bought the rights to the patents for TransHab from NASA and began developing their own inflatable modules. TransHab WAS tested in a vacuum chamber.

Also bear in mind that Bigelow has launched and successfully inflated the Genesis I and Genesis II experimental inflatable modules in orbit and it becomes clear that Bigelow certainly do have experience of inflating such objects in a vacuum.

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Expanding Technology Aboard the ISS

At the International Space Station, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) was expanded to its full volumetric size May 28 through the introduction of air by the Expedition 47 crew onboard the station. BEAM, which was launched on a SpaceX/Dragon cargo craft April 8 and installed on the aft port of the Tranquility module April 16, is the first expandable component to be attached to the station and a prototype of structures that may be used in the future for habitats associated with deep space exploration. Measuring 11.6 x 10.5 feet, BEAM is expected to remain attached to the station for two years with crew members making occasional visits inside to check its systems.

Credit: NASA

Source: NASA YouTube Channel

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BEAM Expansion Time Lapse

This short time-lapse video shows the complete Bigelow Aerospace BEAM expansion from start to finish to its full expanded, pressurized volume on Saturday, April 28. BEAM was installed April 16 on the Tranquility module after being delivered aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft.

Credit: NASA Johnson

Source: NASA Johnson YouTube Channel

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Astronaut’s First Steps into BEAM Will Expand the Frontiers of Habitats for Space

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On Monday, June 6, astronaut Jeff Williams will enter the first human-rated expandable module deployed in space, a technology demonstration to investigate the potential challenges and benefits of expandable habitats for deep space exploration and commercial low-Earth orbit applications.

Williams and the NASA and Bigelow Aerospace teams working at Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston expanded the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) by filling it with air during more than seven hours of operations Saturday, May 28. The BEAM launched April 8 aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and was attached to the International Space Station’s Tranquility module about a week later.

Read more: NASA


 

 

 

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Someone Just Went Inside NASA's Inflatable Space House for the First Time Ever

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An astronaut just completed the very first walk (float?) into the ISS’s inflatable space house—and it neither popped nor floated away while he was inside. Success!
 

Astronaut Jeff Williams became the first person to enter Bigelow Aerospace’s expandable space structure, BEAM, early this morning at 4:47 a.m. EDT.
 

 

 

 

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Space Station Live : Astronaut Jeff Williams Enters BEAM Expandable Module

 

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 47 Flight Engineer Jeff Williams of NASA opened the hatch to the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) June 6 to collect an air sample and set up equipment to monitor its status during its two-year lifetime attached to the aft port of the Tranquility module. Williams was the first astronaut to enter the habitat, which was expanded to its full capacity a week earlier. Once his work was completed, Williams closed the hatch again. Crew members will occasionally re-enter the module over the next two years to check BEAM’s condition. BEAM is serving as a prototype for possible expandable habitats that may be launched in the future to facilitate deep space exploration.

Credit: NASA Johnson

Source: NASA Johnson YouTube Channel

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BEAM Sensors Installed as Station Prepares for Crew Swap

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The hatch to BEAM was opened up again today for the second day of outfitting the expandable module to determine its habitability and durability. BEAM, or the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, is set to demonstrate the overall performance and capability of expandable habitats for the next two years. The crew is predicted to enter BEAM between 12 and 14 times during its stay.

Three Expedition 46-47 crew members are winding down a six-month mission at the International Space Station. Commander Tim Kopra, veteran cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and first-time British astronaut Tim Peake are packing their Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft before they undock June 18 for the 3.5 hour ride back to Earth.

Read more: NASA

 

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