Sierra Space, a major commercial space business at the forefront of designing and constructing the infrastructure for low-Earth orbit (LEO) commercialization, said NASA blew their space habitat in Texas.
However, NASA must put the building through a series of tests to make sure it is secure for people.
A mockup of the cargo logistics module for Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser, the company’s reusable spaceplane, arrived at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in August.
NASA Blows Up Sierra Space's LIFE Habitat in Texas
It was shown that the LIFE module can sustain a pressure of 192 psi, or 13.23 bars, during the so-called Ultimate Burst Pressure Test.
For a more accurate assessment: This pressure is at 134 meters of sea depth. In every instance, the outcome was higher than the safety standard of 182.4 psi or 12.57 bar. Therefore, Sierra Space is pleased.
When #Artemis astronauts start living on the moon, inflatable habitats could be their home. Sierra Space recently conducted a successful burst pressure test on one of its prototype habitats at NASA Johnson under the NEXTSTEP-2 Habitat Systems contract managed by Marshall. pic.twitter.com/ddbr8wO3A3
— NASA Marshall (@NASA_Marshall) September 13, 2022
"LIFE-Habitat is one of Sierra Space's most innovative products, allowing people to live safely and comfortably found new civilizations in space," explains Neeraj Gupta of Sierra Space per reports.
On July 9, the inflatable home was inflated to its limit to determine the highest interior pressure it could endure before deflating. At the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, the test was captured on film from several perspectives. This week, the corporation made a video of the demonstration available.
"Some news outlets thought 'blow up' meant inflate," Alex Walker, a spokesman for Sierra Space, told Mashable. "No, 'blow up' means explode."
What The Habitat is Made Of
Vectran, woven material with layers of radiation protection that engineers claim is five times stronger than steel, is used to construct the LIFE home. Another necessary testing ensures it won't be pierced by meteorites and other space debris.
Although it may look like a small pig building his home out of straw, scientists believe a "soft" substance is sturdy and suitable for compact loading payloads on rockets. It may not seem strong enough for the harsh reality of space or other worlds. Vectran can be readily folded like a parachute within a rocket's nose cone and is relatively light, which results in lower rocket fuel expenditures.
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Why NASA Had to Blow It Up
As the U.S. space agency attempts to shift to a paradigm in which entrepreneurs own and manage destinations in low-Earth orbit, and NASA becomes one of many customers who live and work there, NASA granted Blue Origin a $130 million contract for the commercial space station.
NASA is hoping that this change would reduce the expense of doing orbital science so that it can concentrate on its crewed missions to the moon and even Mars.
The business intends to provide inflatable modules as accommodation for astronauts in Earth orbit in the future. For instance, Blue Origin's "Orbital Reef" space station needs to have them installed.
The Large Inflatable Flexible Environment, or LIFE habitat, might eventually house residents on Jeff Bezos' Orbital Reef space station built by Blue Origin. The businesses plan to begin construction on the station in 2026 if all goes according to plan.
Engineers are already testing a full-scale mockup of the habitat. Next year, the crew will construct a copy to detonate at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. One is already present at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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