NASA successfully adds new INFLATABLE room on the International Space Station

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• published: 29 May 2016
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It's a growth industry! NASA successfully inflates brand new expanding room on International Space Station - and inflatable space hotels could be next It took three days to fully inflate the experimental 13ft-by-10.5ft room But creator, hotel owner Robert Bigalow, says inflatables are the future Currently rooms on a space station can only be the same size as rockets But inflatable stations open up possibilities for massive space hotels The room cost NASA $17.8million and will be tested for the next two years NASA successfully inflated a new experimental room aboard the International Space Station Saturday, in what could be the first step towards entire inflatable space stations. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, named for Bigelow Aerospace, the company that created it, could be a precursor to moon and Mars habitats, or even orbiting tourist hotels. But it will still need work: the BEAM failed to inflate on its first attempt Thursday, and took three days in total to inflate to its full dimensions of 13 feet in length and ten-and-a-half feet in diameter. Astronaut Jeffrey Williams spent seven hours Saturday opening and closing an air valve a total of 25 times to expand the compartment, with internal air tanks provided the final pressurization to complete the job. In total the air valve was open for just two-and-a-half minutes, but NASA insisted on taking it slow to avoid a sudden pressurization of BEAM that could stress the connecting parts of the space station. A noise like popcorn in a frying pan could be heard as the pressure built up inside the room, Williams said - the sound of internal straps releasing as the pod swelled into its final beach-ball-like shape. This first-ever inflatable room for astronauts was built by Bigelow Aerospace of North Las Vegas, and cost NASA a cool $17.8million - the hope being that the tech will lead to an even bigger inflatable room at the space station. But founder and hotel owner Robert Bigelow believes that inflatables are the future of spaceflight, and has much bigger plans, including a pair of private inflatable space stations that he says could fly in a few years. Normal space stations are made of rigid compartments - essentially fancy cans - that cannot be any bigger than the rocket that carries them up. Because expandable spacecraft can be compressed for launch, the same rockets can be used to carry compartments that provide space travelers with lots more room. Despite their success Saturday, Williams and his five crewmates will have to wait a week before venturing inside their new room: NASA wants to make certain the chamber is airtight before opening the door. BEAM barely expanded during Thursday's inflation attempt. Experts believe the soft-sided compartment was packed up tight for so long before last month's launch that the fabric layers had trouble unfolding. Pressure inside the chamber was relieved Friday to ease the friction among the multiple layers. That apparently did the trick: the cubicle swelled an additional six feet in length Saturday, looking more and more like a giant beach ball with every pulse of air. BEAM - empty except for sensors - will remain attached to the orbiting lab for two years as engineers measure temperature, radiation levels and resistance to space debris impacts. It will be off limits most of the time to astronauts, given its experimental status. SpaceX delivered BEAM early last month, and it was installed on the outside of the 250-mile-high outpost. Launch delays had kept it grounded an extra half-year. -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Please watch: "Mark Geyer and Wally Lewis face off during infamous State of Origin moment" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAfohFH-HXg -~-~~-~~~-~~-~-