Space

BEAM me up: Expandable habitat module headed to the ISS

BEAM me up: Expandable habitat module headed to the ISS
A mockup of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) that is scheduled to launch for the ISS on Friday
A mockup of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) that is scheduled to launch for the ISS on Friday
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The BEAM will remain attached to the ISS for two years
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The BEAM will remain attached to the ISS for two years
The BEAM will be delivered to the ISS by the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship
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The BEAM will be delivered to the ISS by the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship
A mockup of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) that is scheduled to launch for the ISS on Friday
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A mockup of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) that is scheduled to launch for the ISS on Friday
A mockup of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) that is scheduled to launch for the ISS on Friday
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A mockup of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) that is scheduled to launch for the ISS on Friday
View gallery - 4 images

When the SpaceX CRS-8 mission heads for the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, it will be carrying a first in manned spaceflight – the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM). The 1,400-kg (3,086-lb) experimental habitat module is intended to test the feasibility of expandable module technology, which could provide living and working areas for astronauts, while reducing launch costs.

The BEAM is an inflatable storage module made of air-tight fabric based on NASA's abandoned TransHab design and will fly deflated in the unpressurized cargo area aboard the Dragon spacecraft. After docking, the ISS crew will use one of the station's robotic arms to retrieve the BEAM and transfer it to one of the docking ports on the Tranquility module.

Once installed, a pressurization system will be activated to use air stored within the module to inflate it to a length of four m (13 ft) and a diameter of 3.23 m (10.6 ft). It will remain on the station for two years while the crews assess its structural stability, leak rate, and ability to withstand radiation and temperature variations. At the end of the test period, the module will be jettisoned from the ISS and burn up on re-entry.

The BEAM will remain attached to the ISS for two years
The BEAM will remain attached to the ISS for two years

NASA is interested in the Bigelow inflatable modules because of its desire for cheaper, lighter space assets and because ground tests have indicated that the Vectran fabric from which the modules are made shows superior resistance to micrometeorites compared to rigid module walls. If the demonstration proves successful, similar expandable models could increase the cargo efficiency (and therefore costs) of future deep space missions or a manned mission to Mars, where such modules could be deployed ahead of the arrival or the first astronauts.

The unmanned Dragon cargo capsule carrying the BEAM is scheduled to launch on April 8 at 4:43 pm EDT atop a Falcon 9 booster from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The animation below shows the planned installation procedure of the BEAM.

Source: NASA

Bigelow Expandable Activity Module Installation Animation

View gallery - 4 images
4 comments
4 comments
MattII
Been wondering when something like this would come.
DomainRider
Interesting that they think the Vectran fabric will resist micrometeoriods better than a hard hull; I guess it doesn't produce so much shrapnel from the inner surface...
Stephen N Russell
Add another docking module for another bigger BEAM 2. Can be huge for ISS.
Mous
poop shield: synthetic gut microbes that smell like jasmine or frankincense, and produce water isolating gel (or something) to speed the process and also desiccate the uh, poop. Should be easy. Spiders do it.