I would guess their use is mostly going to be connectors.
If you use them for habitats you run into the radiation problem.
I suppose you could lift an inflatable with double walls in collapsed form plus water or other liquid, inflate it, then fill the gap between walls with the liquid. You’re still lifting the same mass but it may be easier to package than a rigid habitat. No idea if that ends up being too complex for safety.
You’re wrong about this. Inflatables are more radiation safe than metals. See “secondary radiation.” Readings from BEAM prove the case. The inflatables are made from hydrogen-rich materials, often more radiation proof that a much greater thickness of water.
That’s actually got some truth behind it. Skylab carried a massive film vault to shield the photographic film aboard from cosmic radiation. After analyzing radiation data within Skylab for a while, Mission Control advised the crew to spend as little time as possible in the vicinity of the film vault. It proved very effective in producing secondary radiation.
Slides on RVs always have problems but they usually work once.
One of the main features of expandables is maximizing limited space inside of a fairing. Is this really needed in an age of Starship?
William Barton notes the companies with more funding aren’t using expanables. A company that can buy a dedicated launch can build a more traditional structure. But there could be some clever applications for expandables on rideshare launches.
The technology was perfected by Bigelow before they folded. Many Bigelow employees, including designers, are working for Sierra and the others. The original IP came from NASA,
Bob gave me a tour of the Bigelow facility back in 2016, when it was only he and his granddaughter in the building. What really wowed me was his Odyssey Module. It was gigantic. In zero G, every square foot of it would have been useful as a work surface – and there were thousands of square feet.
Unfortunately, only SLS would have been able to launch it, which doomed it from the start as a commercially viable venture.
Volume probably has some psychological effects on long term inhabitants. What this might be isn’t something that could be investigated in the present sardine can. Large, undivided space comes with some micro gravity liabilities as well but it isn’t hard to imagine that private spaces larger than a coffin might have a salubrious effect.
“In space “. A lot of inflatables are going to be in the Moon and Mars where material is readily available.
I hadn’t heard that they had discovered kevlar and ptfe either place.
The Vat Haven stations are all metal and composite, as is Axiom. The lesser players are using inflatables. Even ROS.
Too bad we can’t inflate space habitats with gaslighting gas.
I would guess their use is mostly going to be connectors.
If you use them for habitats you run into the radiation problem.
I suppose you could lift an inflatable with double walls in collapsed form plus water or other liquid, inflate it, then fill the gap between walls with the liquid. You’re still lifting the same mass but it may be easier to package than a rigid habitat. No idea if that ends up being too complex for safety.
You’re wrong about this. Inflatables are more radiation safe than metals. See “secondary radiation.” Readings from BEAM prove the case. The inflatables are made from hydrogen-rich materials, often more radiation proof that a much greater thickness of water.
That’s actually got some truth behind it. Skylab carried a massive film vault to shield the photographic film aboard from cosmic radiation. After analyzing radiation data within Skylab for a while, Mission Control advised the crew to spend as little time as possible in the vicinity of the film vault. It proved very effective in producing secondary radiation.
Not a big fan of activist neutrons or nuclei…
Why not also blanket the inflatable with bladders to hold various liquids of choice. Mostly water I would presume?
Slides on RVs always have problems but they usually work once.
One of the main features of expandables is maximizing limited space inside of a fairing. Is this really needed in an age of Starship?
William Barton notes the companies with more funding aren’t using expanables. A company that can buy a dedicated launch can build a more traditional structure. But there could be some clever applications for expandables on rideshare launches.
The technology was perfected by Bigelow before they folded. Many Bigelow employees, including designers, are working for Sierra and the others. The original IP came from NASA,
Bob gave me a tour of the Bigelow facility back in 2016, when it was only he and his granddaughter in the building. What really wowed me was his Odyssey Module. It was gigantic. In zero G, every square foot of it would have been useful as a work surface – and there were thousands of square feet.
Unfortunately, only SLS would have been able to launch it, which doomed it from the start as a commercially viable venture.
Volume probably has some psychological effects on long term inhabitants. What this might be isn’t something that could be investigated in the present sardine can. Large, undivided space comes with some micro gravity liabilities as well but it isn’t hard to imagine that private spaces larger than a coffin might have a salubrious effect.