Inflatable Space Habitat

Inflatable space habitat
Vipul Agrawal
Introduction
Inflatable space habitats or Transhab are pressurized
structures capable of supporting life in outer space whose
internal volume increases after launch.
They have frequently been proposed for use in space
applications to provide a greater volume of living space for a
given mass.
Technology
NASA states the following about the structure of the module that Bigelow adopted
as a starting point:
With almost two dozen layers, TransHab's foot-thick inflatable shell is a marvel of
innovative design. The layers are fashioned to break up particles of space debris
and tiny meteorites that may hit the shell with a speed seven times as fast as a
bullet. The outer layers protect multiple inner bladders, made of a material that
holds in the module's air. The shell also provides insulation from temperatures in
space that can range from +121°C (+250°F) in sunlight to -128°C (-200°F) in the
shade.
The key to the debris protection is successive layers of Nextel, a material
commonly used as insulation under the hoods of many cars, spaced between
several-inches-thick layers of open cell foam, similar to foam used for chair
cushions on Earth. The Nextel and foam layers cause a particle to shatter as it hits,
losing more and more of its energy as it penetrates deeper.
Many layers into the shell is a layer of super-strong woven Kevlar that holds the
module's shape. The air is held inside by three bladders of Combitherm, material
commonly used in the food-packing industry. The innermost layer, forming the
inside wall of the module, is Nomex cloth, a fireproof material that also protects
the bladder from scuffs and scratches.
— NASA TransHab Concept
Construction
The construction of an inflatable space habitat is
determined by its design objectives. However common
elements include interwoven layers
of Kevlar and mylar around a flexible air bladder which is
used to retain an atmosphere. The shape of the module
is maintained by the pressure difference between the
internal atmosphere and the outside vacuum. The
inflatable Bigelow Aerospace modules have an internal
core which provides structural support during its launch
into orbit.
B330
BIGELOW
• The Biglow is the only American based
company currently developing such inflatable
habitat for space experimantation.
• The genesis 1 and genesis 2 were the
companies first habitats to be launched to
space for testing various system.
• The biglow expandable activity module is the
first to be used in ISS for experimentation
purpose.
Genesis 1
• Genesis I is an experimental space habitat designed and built
by the private American firm Bigelow Aerospace and launched
in 2006. It was the first module to be sent into orbit by the
company, and tested various systems, materials and
techniques related to determining the viability of long-
term inflatable space structures through 2008. Such
structures, including this module and others built by Bigelow
Aerospace, were similar to the
1990s NASA expandable TransHab design, which aimed to
provide increased interior volume at a reduced launch
diameter and potentially reduced mass compared to
traditional rigid structures.
Genesis 2
• Genesis II is the second experimental space habitat designed
and built by the private American firm Bigelow Aerospace,
launched in 2007. As the second module sent into orbit by the
company, this spacecraft builds on the data and experience
gleaned from its previously orbited sister-ship Genesis I. Like
its sister-ship and other modules being designed by Bigelow
Aerospace, this spacecraft is based on
the NASA TransHab design, which provides increased interior
volume and reduced launch diameter along with potentially
reduced mass compared to traditional rigid structures.
Bigelow expendable activity module
• The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an
experimental expandable space station module developed
by Bigelow Aerospace, under contract to NASA, for testing as
a temporary module on the International Space Station (ISS)
from 2016 to at least 2020. It arrived at the ISS on April 10,
2016,[5] was berthed to the station on April 16, and was
expanded and pressurized on May 28, 2016.
Advantages
• Because the diameter of the habitat is not strictly constrained by
the diameter of the launch vehicle, inflatables can have a greater
volume of living space for a given mass.
• Some designs offer higher resistance to space debris. For example,
the B330 provides ballistic protection superior to traditional
aluminum shell designs.
• Some designs provide higher levels of shielding against radiation.
For example, the B330 provides radiation protection equivalent to
or better than the International Space Station, "and substantially
reduces the dangerous impact of secondary radiation."
Future scope:-
• The inflatable habitat can be used in various field
such as space transfer habitat module such as
bigelow.
• This can also be used as moon or mars permanent
habitat to be sent from earth as a inflatable body.
• The use of space inflatables won’t be limited to
unmanned spacecraft and telescopes.
Conclusion
• Hence the inflatable space habitat or pressurized

TransHab have been in the realm of science fiction for so
long and now by the new research and development by
NASA and Startups like Bigelow the TransHab are more
real than ever before.
• This kind of Habitat can be the new home for future of
humanity in space exploration.
• And can also be used with further research for the
mars and moon habitats.
Reference
• wikipedia.com/infatable_space_habitat
• Wikipedia.com/bigelow
• Wikipedia.com/genesis
• Bigelow.com
Thank you

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Inflatable space habitat

• Hence the inflatable space habitat or pressurized

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