Inflatable space habitat

Inflatable habitats are pressurised modules for use in an outer space environment to support human life. They have frequently been proposed for use in space applications to provide a greater volume of living space for a given mass.

The first serious design and manufacture of an inflatable space habitat was in 1961 with a space station design produced by Goodyear (although this design was never flown). [cite web |url=http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2003-00106.html |title=GPN-2003-00106 - Inflatable Station Concept] A proposal released in 1989 by Johnson Space Center's Man Systems Division outlined a convert|16|m diameter spherical habitat lunar outpost which was partially buried in the lunar surface.

An inflatable module called Transhab (a portmanteau of "Trans Habitation") was proposed for the International Space Station,cite web |url=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/station/transhab/ |title=TransHab Concept |work=NASA.gov |author=Kim Dismukes (curator) |date=2003-06-27 |accessdate=2007-06-10] and later the private company Bigelow Aerospace revived the design for its own use as a private space hotel. [ [http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996347 Holidays in space are on the horizon] , New Scientist article (September 4, 2004)]

Construction

The construction of an inflatable space habitat is determined by its design objectives. However common elements include interwoven layers of Kevlar and mylar around a flexible air bladder which is used to retain an atmosphere. The shape of the module is maintained by the pressure difference between the internal atmosphere and the outside vacuum. The inflatable Bigelow Aerospace modules have an internal core which provides structural support during its launch into orbit.

Ongoing research

Currently the main areas of research are being undertaken by Bigelow Aerospace and NASA. NASA is currently studying inflatable lunar bases with the "planetary surface habitat and airlock unit" [cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/mmb/inflatable-lunar-hab.html |title=NASA - Camping on the Moon Will Be One Far Out Experience] which is in an early prototype phase; later on, the unit is to be tested at the Antarctic in 2008 Fact|date=May 2008.

Advantages

* a greater volume of living space for a given mass.
* much higher resistance to hypersonic space debrisFact|date=January 2008.
* provide higher levels of shielding against radiationFact|date=January 2008.

Flight experience

Currently the only designs that have flown in space have been the "Genesis I" and "Genesis II" modules from Bigelow Aerospace.

ee also

* Colonization of the Moon

References

External links

* [http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070328_tw_inflatable_hab.html NASA lunar colony idea]
* [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/mmb/inflatable-lunar-hab.html Lunar habitat]
* [http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/library/LB2-303-InflatableHabitation.pdf Inflatable lunar habitat study]
* [http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4308/ch9.htm NASA history regarding inflatable space habitats]