{"id":786552,"date":"2024-07-30T07:41:55","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T12:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=786552"},"modified":"2024-07-30T07:41:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T12:41:55","slug":"watch-an-inflatable-habitat-burst-in-super-slo-mo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=786552","title":{"rendered":"Watch an Inflatable Habitat Burst in Super Slo-Mo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Ae inflatable habitats the future of human space exploration? This is what the space-tech company, Sierra Space, hopes to achieve as they recently conducted a successful Ultimate Burst Pressure test on June 18 with its Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE\u00ae) technology at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. The goal of these tests is to inflate the test article until it explodes while ascertaining if the maximum pressure falls within NASA\u2019s strict safety guidelines regarding a recommended operating pressure of 60.8 psi (maximum operating pressure of 15.2 psi times four as a safety factor). Upon explosion, Sierra Space engineers immediately found the recent test achieved 74 psi, thus exceeding NASA\u2019s safety standards by 22 percent.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-167957\"\/><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NASA Conducts 2nd Full-Scale Inflatable Habitat Burst Pressure Test\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K1hU14RlhRs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe are 100 percent committed to maintaining U.S. leadership in Low Earth Orbit. Sierra Space is leading the way with the first commercial space station to replace the International Space Station when it is decommissioned and ensure there is no gap in LEO,\u201d said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice. \u201cOur revolutionary, expandable space station technology reinvents the space station. Our technology, for the first time, will enable the right unit economics that will usher in the full commercialization of space. Our biotech and industrial partners will utilize our factories of the future to innovate new products that will massively disrupt terrestrial markets and benefit life on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Advancing Next-Gen Space Station Tech with Sierra Space and NASA\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WDhrM6dsGJA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>This recent test marks the technology\u2019s second full-scale structural test and seventh key validation test, which comes after Sierra Space successfully conducted its first full-scale burst test in December 2023, achieving 77 psi and exceeding NASA\u2019s safety standards by 27 percent. Both test units stood at more than 6 meters (20 feet) in height and had volumes of 300 m<sup>3<\/sup> (10,594 ft<sup>3<\/sup>), or approximately 1\/3<sup>rd<\/sup> of the pressurized volume of the International Space Station (ISS). Sierra Space is now planning for the first test of its 500 m<sup>3 <\/sup>(17,657 ft<sup>3<\/sup>) space station technology in 2025, which will be 55 percent of the pressurized volume of the ISS.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Full-Scale LIFE\u2122 Inflatable Space Station Burst Test at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_7NiBD3KqkQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">December 2023 burst test of the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE\u00ae)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cNo other company is moving at the speed of Sierra Space to develop actual hardware, stress-tested at full scale, and demonstrate repeatability. We\u2019ve taken a softgoods system that very few companies around the world have been able to design, and now we have consistent, back-to-back results,\u201d said Shawn Buckley, VP of Earthspace\u2122 Systems, Space Stations, at Sierra Space. \u201cA second successful full-scale test is an absolute game changer. We now know it\u2019s possible to equal or surpass the total habitable volume of the entire International Space Station, in a single launch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While these two recent tests were conducted at full-scale, Sierra Space conducted two sub-scale burst tests in July 2022 and November 2022, achieving maximum pressures of 192 and 204 psi, respectively, with NASA\u2019s safety standards being 182.4 psi given the sub-scale sizes, thus both tests successfully exceeding these safety standards.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sierra Space\u2019s LIFE Habitat Successfully Completes Ultimate Burst Pressure Test\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D1b3WrY9gLQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">July 2022 sub-scale burst test<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LIFE Habitat | Successful Accelerated Systematic Creep Test for Extended Human Missions\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pGcdrxB2Qow?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">November 2022 sub-scale burst test<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sierra Space stated in June 2023 that they hope to launch a \u201cpathfinder\u201d version of the LIFE\u00ae habitat in 2026 with the goal of the technology being an essential piece to the Orbital Reef commercial space station, with the latter scheduled to be operational in 2027. Given its size, Sierra Space estimates the LIFE\u00ae habitat can comfortably accommodate four astronauts with the remaining volume being used for science experiments, exercise equipment, small medical facilities, and the Astro Garden\u00ae system, which can potentially grow food in space and has previously undergone testing at the Sierra Space Madison WI facility.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sierra Space Has Begun Full-Scale LIFE Habitat Testing!\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aiSbL_wVlOw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>This comes as numerous commercial space companies are attempting to launch their own space stations, including the Axiom Station, Starlab Space Station, Haven-1, and the aforementioned Orbital Reef space station. Additionally, this also comes as NASA announced their plans to \u201cretire\u201d the ISS in 2030, although the agency announced in a July 2024 white paper that they will evaluate the possibility of extending the lifetime of the ISS if no commercial space stations are able to accommodate space-based research at that time.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Commercial Successors To The International Space Station.\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g8fIdzaMvqA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>How will Sierra Space\u2019s Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE\u00ae) technology help advance human space exploration in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!<\/p>\n<p><em>As always, keep doing science &amp; keep looking up!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded\" id=\"like-post-wrapper-24000880-167957-66a8dcd8d0c94\" data-src=\"https:\/\/widgets.wp.com\/likes\/?ver=13.2#blog_id=24000880&amp;post_id=167957&amp;origin=www.universetoday.com&amp;obj_id=24000880-167957-66a8dcd8d0c94&amp;n=1\" data-name=\"like-post-frame-24000880-167957-66a8dcd8d0c94\" data-title=\"Like or Reblog\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Like this:<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"button\"><span>Like<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"loading\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sd-text-color\"\/><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/167957\/watch-an-inflatable-habitat-burst-in-super-slo-mo\/?rand=772204\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ae inflatable habitats the future of human space exploration? This is what the space-tech company, Sierra Space, hopes to achieve as they recently conducted a successful Ultimate Burst Pressure test&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":786553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-786552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genaero"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=786552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/786553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=786552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=786552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=786552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}