Here's something for you to think about

I’m putting it on both blogs (yes, I’m still on hiatus) because it might be of interest to our resident astronot Sarah.  (She works at NASA, but doesn’t fly space ships, yet.)

Bigelow Aeronautics launched their “inflatable” space module project today out of Russia.  The prototype measures 4 feet in diameter by 14 feet long.  The concept (pioneered by our folks at NASA and SpaceHab, later TransHab) is that you launch this graphitefiber module into space, then inflate it when you get out there to increase the internal volume of the structure.  The inflated prototype will measure about 8 feet in diameter by 28 feet long.  The graphitefiber skin is strong enough to withstand micrometeors and space junk.  Because the deflated module takes up less space it consumes less volume in the cargo bay.  Less volume means less weight means less cost.

Here’s something to think about.

The prototype’s volume deflated is about 550 cubic feet (552.7 to be precise).

If you use up every inch of the Shuttle’s cargo bay you can fit 60 of these bad boys in there.  Assuming you have something to link these things together (and there’s no reason to suggest that you couldn’t manufacture a module that could do just that) you’d have a potential space station with a volume of 265,000 cubic feet of internal volume.

 

IN ONE TRIP!!!

To put it in perspective, that’s equivalent to almost 8 space shuttle cargo bays in permanent orbit.

IN ONE TRIP!!!

 

Of course, you’re not going to utilize every inch of the shuttle’s cargo bay.  And you have to come up with something that can link these modules together.  And there’s the CMA safety concern of some kind of rupture of the fabric, so the linking module will probably have to be solid metal, not fabric.  But the potential is remarkably awesome.  So you can only put up 4 space shuttle cargo bays with one trip.  It’s still a pretty fantastic deal.

 

They’ve been building the space station for nearly a decade now.  In 1 trip you could put a structure in orbit that eclipses the space station’s internal living space without risking 4 vehicles and 4 crews, and without spending the money (or risk) to prepare 4 launches.

It’s a pretty awesome thought.  Mark your calendars, ladies and gentlemen.  You’ve just entered a new era.