Page 6 - Spec Tech Vol 1 Issue 11
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Lockheed Martin’s burst test greatly
exceeds max operating pressure.
Image Credit: Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin has been blowing up its Lockheed Martin is developing inflatable
in-development inflatable space habitat in habitats as part of NASA's NextSTEP
more ways than one. Explosions in space are public-private partnership program to support
usually not a good thing, unless you consider human space habitation in low Earth orbit,
that supernovae created the heavy matter of at the moon and beyond."This tech demo is
which we are all made. But a recent test by the first step in proving out our inflatable
American aerospace company Lockheed habitat design, which we are confident will be
Martin needed to go beyond the limits to one of the key enablers to make human life
make sure new technology will be safe for in space easier and allow humans to explore
human space habitation. In early December, further into space than ever before," said
engineers at Lockheed Martin Space's Tyler Muma, Lockheed Martin's Softgoods
Waterton Canyon facility in Colorado took a Technology Lead, in the statement.
test habitat developed using its inflatable Lockheed states that inflatables promise the
technology and put the module through capability to build space destinations with
what's called an ultimate burst pressure test, less weight, more volume and fewer
overpressurizing the test article to the point launches required than traditional metallic,
of exploding. A video of the test shows the hard-sided structures and pave the way for a
pressure building until the habitat bursts "feasible and affordable path for extra-large
violently at 285 per square- inch (psi), or living spaces for humans in low Earth orbit, in
more than six times the max operating a Mars transport system such as Mars Base
pressure. The test, together with an earlier Camp, and in habitats on the lunar and
experiment, support validation of the design Martian surfaces."
and manufacturing processes that went into
making the habitat, according to a Lockheed Inflatable modules are already being tested
Martin statement. on the International Space Station in the form
of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module
As well as finding the bursting point, the test (BEAM) which joined the station in 2016.
unit was outfitted with hundreds of sensors While Bigelow Aerospace is no longer, NASA
and monitored with high-speed cameras—all has taken over managing the module.
providing thousands of valuable data points
into exactly how and where the expandable
habitat failed, the statement explained.
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