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Bigelow Aerospace's Inflatable Space Pod To Be Tested On The Space Station In 2015

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October 8, 2014

Image Credit: Bigelow Aerospace

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Starting next year, astronauts aboard the International Space Station will be able to work inside an inflatable module attached to the stations Tranquility node, according to Space.com Contributor Elizabeth Howell.

Developed by Bigelow Aerospace, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) will travel to the ISS aboard SpaceXs Dragon cargo spacecraft in 2015. After arriving at the station, the robotic Canadarm2 will be used to attach the nearly $18 million BEAM.

Once attached, BEAM is expected to expand out to a length of 13 feet and diameter of about 10.5 feet. After the expansion and initial testing, a member of the ISS crew will enter the module a first for space exploration. The module is expected to remain attached for a nominal period of two years.

Testing of the new module will determine if it is space-worthy and capable of protecting occupants from radiation, small meteorites and space debris.

We cannot think of a stronger endorsement for either our company or expandable habitat technology than NASAs desire to make BEAM a part of the ISS, Bigelow said in a statement released last year.

[ Watch the Video: Bigelow Expandable Activity Module Installation Animation ]

Expandable habitats will dramatically increase the amount of volume available for crewed, space-based activities, the statement added. Expandables will also provide enhanced protection from solar radiation, physical debris, and trace contaminants, while requiring less mass, smaller amounts of rocket faring space, and fewer dollars than traditional metallic structures.

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Bigelow Aerospace's Inflatable Space Pod To Be Tested On The Space Station In 2015

Rookie spacewalkers chalk up successful outing

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Last Updated Oct 7, 2014 3:15 PM EDT

Working outside the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and European Space Agency crewmate Alexander Gerst successfully moved a failed ammonia pump module to an external stowage platform Tuesday, completing a task originally planned for a repair spacewalk last December.

They also replaced a burned-out television camera light, used during spacecraft arrivals and departures, and installed a backup payload power system on the mobile transporter used to move the station's robot arm and attached equipment from one worksite to another.

The spacewalk, the 182nd since station construction began in 1998, got underway at 8:30 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) and ended six hours and 13 minutes later when Gerst and Wiseman returned to the Quest airlock and began repressurization procedures at 2:43 p.m. It was the fifth of seven spacewalks planned this year by station astronauts and the first for Wiseman and Gerst.

"Alex, it looks like we've almost got a full moon out here," Wiseman marvled as he floated out of the airlock. "It's beautiful."

A few minutes later, Gerst said simply "this is awesome."

"Yep, this is amazing," Wiseman agreed.

The major goal of U.S. EVA-27 was to move a failed ammonia coolant pump from the mobile transporter to an insulated bay on External Stowage Platform No. 2 near the airlock. The pump failed last December and was replaced during two spacewalks later that month. But the repair crew did not have time to move the failed unit back to ESP-2.

As the space station moved into orbital darkess, astronaut Reid Wiseman, center (with red stripes around legs) heads back to the Quest airlock. Fellow spacewalker Alexander Gerst is visible to the lower left.

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Rookie spacewalkers chalk up successful outing

Astronauts Complete First Spacewalk Of Expedition 41, Work Outside ISS For 6 Hours

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Two astronauts on the International Space Station, or ISS, successfully completed the first of three Expedition 41 spacewalks at 2:43 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. During the spacewalk, the astronauts worked outside the Quest airlock of the space station for more than six hours.

The two astronauts -- Reid Wiseman of NASA and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency -- first relocated a failed cooling pump, which was temporarily stowed on the stations truss by Expedition 38 spacewalkers Mike Hopkins and Rick Mastracchio in December. The other tasks included replacing a light on an external television camera group outside the ISS' Destiny laboratory and installing a Mobile Transporter Relay Assembly, or MTRA, on to the solar power truss right above Destiny, according to NASA.

The MTRA allows flight controllers to provide power to attached payloads even if any technical glitch prevents the transporter's payload attachment fitting from drawing power from worksites, CBS News reported.

Alex and I, we'd like to express just our huge gratitude for getting us back into planned EVAs (spacewalks), safely outside, safely back in, CBS News quoted Wiseman as saying. It's a good day for NASA, it's definitely a good day for the European Space Agency.

A second spacewalk is scheduled for Oct. 15 when Barry Wilmore of NASA will follow Wiseman outside the Quest airlock for a six-and-a-half hour excursion. The goal of the spacewalk will be to replace a failed component for regulating voltage.They will also move external camera equipment ahead of a major reconfiguration of station modules next year.

The first Russian spacewalk of Expedition 41 is scheduled for Oct. 22 when cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Max Suraev will wear Russian Orlan spacesuits and exit the Pirs docking compartment at 9:24 a.m. EDT, according to NASA.

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Astronauts Complete First Spacewalk Of Expedition 41, Work Outside ISS For 6 Hours

Private Inflatable Room Launching to Space Station Next Year

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TORONTO A privately built inflatable room for astronauts on the International Space Station is on track to launch into orbit next year.

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is expected to head to space inside SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft in 2015, according to a senior representative for the company Bigelow Aerospace, which is building the module. Once BEAM gets to the space station, the robotic Canadarm2 will install it on the Tranquility node's aft port to test out expandable-habitat technology.

NASA is paying Nevada-based Bigelow $17.8 million to send the demonstration module to the station, where it will be in place for at least a couple of years. Here at the International Astronautical Congress Thursday (Oct. 2), Bigelow representative Mike Gold said BEAM provides an example of what the company, and private firms in general, can do in low-Earth orbit (LEO). [Photos: Bigelow's Inflatable Space Station Idea]

"LEO will become a commercial domain," said Gold, Bigelow's director of D.C. operations and business growth.

"Maybe it's difficult to see at this point, but we go back to telecom there was a time when every communications satellite was owned by the government," he added, noting that today, private companies are now responsible for this space domain and that it touches every aspect of people's lives, such as cellphones. "This will happen when it comes to crew operations."

The BEAM mission will allow Bigelow to collect even more data about how its expandable habitat modules perform on orbit. The company blasted two other modules to orbit as stand-alone missions in 2006 and 2007 and plans to launch a private space station someday.

Private work in space, Gold noted, is hampered by International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which restrict the sharing of technology with other countries, particularly China. Citing "Star Trek," Gold joked that Scottish engineer Montgomery Scott would have had trouble speaking openly with Hikaru Sulu (from Japan) if ITAR were in force on the Enterprise.

After gravity, Gold said, ITAR is the second-greatest barrier to getting something off Earth. China, in particular, is the "third rail" of ITAR, Gold said, urging other companies to help him speak to government officials in an attempt to make changes.

"We cannot fight the New Space vs. Old Space battle with so few companies," he said. "The pie is too small. We need to come together as space enthusiasts."

Speaking on the same panel as Gold, Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's chief of human exploration and operations, said commercial operations are needed on the International Space Station because NASA "owes the taxpayers some return."

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Private Inflatable Room Launching to Space Station Next Year

Q&A on the News

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Q: I know its still up there because a computer was recently delivered to the International Space Station, but we never get word that it is flying over us. It seems like forever since we were made aware of a flyover.

Dr. James C. and Marjorie S. Waggoner, McDonough

A: A NASA website spotthestation.nasa.gov provides times and dates when the International Space Station can be viewed from many areas of the world through its Location Lookup menu. The website also provides tips on spotting the space station and includes a section to sign up to receive email or text alerts when it can be viewed in your area.

The website shows several opportunities this week when the space station can be seen from the McDonough area, including four-minute period around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday and three minutes each about 8:33 p.m. Thursday and 7:45 p.m. Friday. The International Space Station is about the size of a football field and can be seen from earth without a telescope.

Q: What is the combined population of the countries with golfers who participated in the Ryder Cup, compared to the population of the United States?

Petie Freeman, Roswell

A: The European Ryder Cup team included professional golfers from Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). The combined population of those countries is 274.2 million, using estimated figures for 2014. The U.S. has an estimated 319 million people, according to the Census Bureau. The European team defeated the U.S. team on Sept. 28 and has won eight of the past 10 Ryder Cup championships, dating to 1995.

Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? Well try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).

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Q&A on the News

Station astronauts gear up for spacewalk Tuesday

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Space station astronauts will venture outside the complex Tuesday and again next week to move a failed ammonia pump to a more secure storage location, to replace an electrical component that will restore one of the lab's solar power channels to normal operation and to carry out a variety of maintenance tasks.

Astronauts Reid Wiseman and Alexander Gerst are gearing up for a spacewalk Tuesday. Photo credit: NASA The two U.S. spacewalks will set the stage for a complex series of eight to 10 NASA EVAs and module relocations next year that are needed to prepare the station for dockings by Boeing and SpaceX commercial crew ferry craft.

Two commercial crew docking adapters will be installed, one on the front end of the forward Harmony module where shuttles once docked and the other on the module's upper space-facing port. Harmony's Earth-facing port will remain available for use by visiting cargo ships.

A pressurized storage module now attached to the Earth-facing port of the central Unity module will be moved to the forward side of the Tranquility compartment where the multi-window cupola is located, making way for equipment that will enable visiting cargo ships berth at Unity.

The relocations will be carried out remotely using the station's robot arm, but multiple spacewalks will be needed to route and re-route power and data cables and to install a universal communications and navigation system that will be used by Boeing and SpaceX crew craft during station approaches and departures.

When the work is complete, the U.S. segment of the station will be able to accommodate two commercial crew vehicles and two cargo ships at the same time, providing fully independent access to the lab complex for the first time since the space shuttle's retirement in 2011.

"When you look out a little further as to how the EVAs stack up after the first of the year and out into the spring, we're really going to start this transformation of the space station," said Kenny Todd, space station integration and operations manager. "We're going to be doing the things we need to do on these EVAs to prep for moving some modules around.

"All that is in preparation for being able to support future commercial crewed vehicles coming to station. We're trying to get out in front of that. We'll be prepping for moving modules, we'll be installing a new docking adapter system. All of that will be happening throughout the next several months."

But first, NASA is staging a pair of spacewalks to complete unfinished business, to restore an electrical power channel to normal operation and to move camera lights and equipment needed for the upcoming commercial crew reconfiguration.

Flight engineer Reid Wiseman and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst plan to kick off the first spacewalk, U.S. EVA-27, at 8:10 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) Tuesday, exiting the Quest airlock module and making their way to the forward face of the station's solar power truss where the pump module is mounted on a robot arm transporter.

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Station astronauts gear up for spacewalk Tuesday


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