Category Archives: Space Station

A new, inflatable addition to the International Space Station is ready for its close-up.

NASA officials viewed Bigelow Aerospace's Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) at the company's facility in Las Vegas on March 12. BEAM is scheduled to depart later this year for NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and then blast toward the station atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster.

BEAM's time attached to the orbiting lab should provide a key test for expandable space habitats, which represent a dramatic departure from traditional metallic designs. [Bigelow's Inflatable Space Station Idea in Photos]

"We're fortunate to have the space station to demonstrate potential habitation capabilities like BEAM," Jason Crusan, director of Advanced Exploration Systems at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement. "Station provides us with a long-duration microgravity platform with constant crew access to evaluate systems and technologies we are considering for future missions farther into deep space."

According to Bigelow Aerospace, the demonstration of expandable space habitat technology supports NASA's plans in the realm of human spaceflight, which ultimately lead to putting boots on Mars. Developing a deep-space habitat is an important step along the path to the Red Planet, agency officials say.

Founded in 1999 by entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, Bigelow Aerospace has as a goal the creation of a new paradigm in space commerce and exploration via the development and use of expandable habitat technology. Expandable habitats are viewed as offering dramatically larger volumes than rigid, metallic structures as well as enhanced protection against both radiation and physical debris.

Additionally, expandable habitats are lighter than traditional systems, take up less room in a rocket fairing for launch, and are seen by advocates as a less-costly alternative.

As an example, BEAM will measure just 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide in its packed configuration aboard SpaceX's robotic Dragon resupply spacecraft. Once is deployed and inflated, it will add an additional 565 cubic feet (16 cubic m) of volume about the size of a large family camping tent that is accessible to astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory.

NASA awarded a $17.8 million contract to Bigelow Aerospace to provide BEAM, which will arrive at the space station in 2015 for a two-year technology demonstration.

After the module is berthed to the station's Tranquility node, astronauts will activate a pressurization system to expand the structure to its full size using air stored within the packed module.

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Bigelow Aerospace's Inflatable Habitat Ready for Space ...

Lockheed Martin has a new plan for resupplying the International Space Station, and it includes the use of a tugboat-like craft called Jupiter. As the defense contractor and aerospace company explains it, Jupiter would serve as deliveryman, garbageman, satellite deployment specialist and astronaut transport vehicle -- all in one.

The most immediate use for Jupiter will be as a cargo ferry, shuttling supplies back and forth to ISS. But unlike other cargo vehicles that start and end their mission on the Earth's surface -- like SpaceX's Dragon capsule -- Jupiter will hang out in space 24/7.

Jupiter would begin its life by delivering a cargo load in a container the size of a rail car called the Exoliner. After delivering the Exoliner, Jupiter will chill out in low Earth orbit, perhaps serving other purposes -- like deploying satellites -- until it's time to deliver another cargo load.

When another resupply mission comes along, Jupiter will both take out the trash for ISS and deliver the space station the new Exoliner. Jupiter would all the while be accompanied by a detached robotic arm to assist in the various handoffs.

"Just imagine a future of interplanetary shipping lanes to the Moon and Mars, bustling autonomous spacecraft carrying supplies, scientific instruments and construction materials for habitats," Jim Crocker, vice president and general manager of Space Systems Company International, said in a company press release that likened their plans to a 21st century Transcontinental Railroad in space.

"Picture commercial hosted payloads and cube sats, sharing space with NASA instruments and reducing costs," Crocker said. "Picture a fleet of space habitats, serving as orbiting labs and helping Orion astronauts on their journey to Mars."

The new space architecture won't necessarily revolutionize how cargo is delivered to ISS. And it's unclear whether the method will save time or money. But Jupiter has the advantage of versatility. In an aerospace industry that's become increasingly crowded, Lockheed seems to be making the long play.

A versatile system like Jupiter could ultimately find a way to make itself useful in a variety of future NASA missions.

"Although our priority is going to be servicing the International Space Station and providing the ability to carry commercial payloads and deploy small satellites, we're also designing this system from the beginning to be able to do deep-space missions," Josh Hopkins, the company's space exploration architect, told reporters at a press briefing on Thursday night.

In other words, if NASA awards this ISS delivery contract to Lockheed, it could set the company up for more success down the line.

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Lockheed Martin reveals new method for resupplying space station

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