BA 330

BA 330

Mock up of the expanded BA 330
Station statistics
Crew	6[1]
Mission status	Developmental
Mass	Between 20,000 kg and 23,000 kg
Length	9.5 m (31.2 ft)[1]
Diameter	6.7 m (22.0 ft)[1]
Pressurised volume	330 m3 (11,654 cu ft)

The BA 330 (previously known as the Nautilus space complex module) is the complete, full-scale production model of Bigelow Aerospace's expandable space habitation module program. It will have 330 cubic metres (12,000 cu ft) of internal space, hence its numeric designation.

Slated for first launch in 2014 or 2015,^[2] the craft will support zero-gravity research including scientific missions and manufacturing processes. Beyond its industrial and scientific purposes, however, it has the potential as a port of call for space tourism.

Other uses for the craft include missions destined for the Moon and Mars and even space yachts.

Beneficial features

A number of features make this form of expandable space station technology particularly well-suited for its purpose.

1. It offers a large habitable space for crews to live and conduct experiments in. The exterior of the craft is intended to be 45 feet (14 m) long by 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter.^[3]
2. It can be relatively light for its size, weighting between 45,000 pounds (20,000 kg) and 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg), making it easier to place large amounts of volume in orbit.^[3]
3. Its skin, made of high-strength textiles and Vectran-like materials, is wrapped with several layers of high-tension straps. It is particularly resistant to damage from micrometeoroids and space debris.^[4]

The BA 330 provides radiation protection equivalent to, and ballistic protection superior to, the International Space Station.^[5]

The module's large size is particularly beneficial for lunar astronauts or the crews of other long-duration space missions,^[6] which until now have been restricted to fairly cramped quarters for the several-day flight.

When expanded the outer shell is as hard to the touch as concrete.^[7]

The BA 330 design architecture is built on module-independent provision of needed services:^[5]

• Electrical power is provided by solar arrays and batteries.
• Module-specific avionics are provided for navigation, re-boost, docking and other on-orbit maneuvering.
• Environmental control and life support system to support up to six persons, including lavatory and hygiene facilities.
• Four large windows coated with a UV protection film will support both terrestrial and celestial viewing.

Technology

While many details about how Bigelow has evolved the purchased TransHab technology have not been published, NASA states the following about the structure of the module that Bigelow adopted as a starting point:

With almost two dozen layers, TransHab's foot-thick inflatable shell is a marvel of innovative design. The layers are fashioned to break up particles of space debris and tiny meteorites that may hit the shell with a speed seven times as fast as a bullet. The outer layers protect multiple inner bladders, made of a material that holds in the module's air. The shell also provides insulation from temperatures in space that can range from +121°C (+250°F) in sunlight to -128°C (-200°F) in the shade.

The key to the debris protection is successive layers of Nextel, a material commonly used as insulation under the hoods of many cars, spaced between several-inches-thick layers of open cell foam, similar to foam used for chair cushions on Earth. The Nextel and foam layers cause a particle to shatter as it hits, losing more and more of its energy as it penetrates deeper.

Many layers into the shell is a layer of super-strong woven Kevlar that holds the module's shape. The air is held inside by three bladders of Combitherm,^[8] material commonly used in the food-packing industry. The innermost layer, forming the inside wall of the module, is Nomex cloth, a fireproof material that also protects the bladder from scuffs and scratches.

—NASA TransHab Concept, ^[4]

Bigelow has described their technology to news media^[9] and have indicated that their proprietary technology inflatable shell, now in validation test in low-earth orbit in two subscale spacecraft, incorporates a layer of Vectran, along with the Kevlar etc. of the NASA technology.^[10]

Bigelow has selected^[11] Orbitec as the supplier for environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS).^[12]

Further enhancements

Bigelow Aerospace is developing the BA 330 module to mate with other spacecraft. In early illustrations, this was shown as being with the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but it could theoretically be with any number of other vehicles.

Once assembled, the combined vehicle would offer the benefits of enhanced operating space for the crew, along with the traditional necessities of the 'hard' spacecraft docked to it, such as atmospheric re-entry.

As of 2005^[update], Bigelow Aerospace had plans to develop the CSS Skywalker, a space station based upon using BA 330 modules to act as an orbital hotel.^[13] Later plans continued to call for construction of a space station, but without the CSS Skywalker moniker, with "more usable volume than the existing International Space Station".^[2] Current plans include a complex of two smaller Sundancer modules, a combined node and propulsion module and one full-size BA-330. This would give a total volume that is slightly less than that of the ISS, though built from fewer and larger individual modules.^{[14][dated info]}

History

The BA 330 is the brainchild of Robert Bigelow of Budget Suites of America. Its design is based on the cancelled NASA TransHab program. Bigelow gained access to Transhab engineers and workers,^[when?] some of whom later went on to advise Bigelow's project.^{[15][16][dated info]}

In July 2010, Bigelow announced that a BA-330 would be the sixth spacecraft component making up the Bigelow Commercial Space Station.^[14]

See also

• Bigelow Aerospace
• TransHab
• Genesis I
• Genesis II
• Galaxy (spacecraft)
• Sundancer
• BA 2100

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} "International Space Development Conference - Bigelow Slideshow" (in English). Bigelow Aerospace. 2011-05-24. http://images.spaceref.com/news/2011/bigelow.chrtz.isdc.pdf. Retrieved 27 May 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Moon dreams - The Americans may still go to the moon before the Chinese, The Economist, 2010-02-18, accessed 22 February 2010. "The current plan is to launch the first full-scale habitat (called Sundancer) in 2014. Further modules will be added to this over the course of a year, and the result will be a space station with more usable volume than the existing international one."
3. ^ ^{a b} David, Leonard (2005-03-08). "Progress Made on Inflatable Private Space Module" (in English). Space.com. http://www.space.com/855-progress-inflatable-private-space-module.html. Retrieved 7 April 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "TransHab Concept". National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA.gov). 27 June 2003. http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/station/transhab/. Retrieved 1 June 2007. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Bigelow Aerospace — Next-Generation Commercial Space Stations: BA 330, Bigelow Aerospace, 2010, accessed 29 Dec 2010.
6. ^ Private Spaceflight Goes Public, Alan Boyle, MSNBC Cosmic Log, 1 February 2010.
7. ^ Rogers, Keith (23 July 2006). "Week in Review: Reporters Notebook". Las Vegas Review-Journal. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-23-Sun-2006/news/8576221.html. Retrieved 1 June 2007. 
8. ^ "DuPont, Surlyn-resin, Combitherm-film case study". http://www2.dupont.com/Surlyn/en_US/uses_apps/cookinfilm.html. 
9. ^ Putting Up the Ritz: Can pneumatic buildings breathe life into space tourism?, James Oberg, IEEE Spectrum, Feb 2007.
10. ^ Inflatable space module puffs up, Jonathan Fildes, BBC News, 14 Jul 2006
11. ^ Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) Trusted by Bigelow Aerospace to provide Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) for Sundancer Feb 2010.
12. ^ Diagram of BA-330 with Orbitec life support systems Feb 2010.
13. ^ "The Five-Billion-Star Hotel, 1 Mar 2005". http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2005-03/five-billion-star-hotel. 
14. ^ ^{a b} Bigelow Aerospace — Next-Generation Commercial Space Stations: Orbital Complex Construction, Bigelow Aerospace, accessed 15 July 2010.
15. ^ Schrimpsher, Dan (21 August 2006). "Interview: TransHab developer William Schneider". TheSpaceReview.com. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/686/1. Retrieved 3 October 2009. 
16. ^ An Interview with Constance Adams: Architect for the TransHab Inflatable Space Station Module, 30 May 2003

External links

• Bigelow Aerospace home page
• NASA page dedicated to the older Transhab concept