Sierra Space has conducted another test of its inflatable space habitat called the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE). This particular one was particularly interesting because it ended with a spectacular explosion.
The team first inflated LIFE to a size where the habitat in question would fit about a third of the International Space Station (ISS). But that wasn’t enough for him and he kept going.
He ended up scoring a brilliant 77 psi (for comparison: the value recommended by NASA in these cases is 60.8 psi), followed by an explosion:
“We are driving a space station rebirth that will shape a new era of human exploration and discovery in low Earth orbit and beyond.” stated Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice in a statement.
Inflatable habitats have one big advantage: LIFE can easily fit into a storage space about 5 meters long, but once in orbit it can reach the size of a three-story apartment building.
In addition, Sierra Space is already working on even more spacious habitats, which will have a larger volume than the above-mentioned ISS – and for which only a single launch will be sufficient to transport them into space anyway.
2024-01-24 14:47:10
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