More space in space

Nasa has successfully inflated its first expandable space station module in May 2016 in an attempt to find cheaper ways to put equipment and people into orbit. ByMark Williamson examines how blow-up modules can change space. The Beam module itself has two metal bulkheads, a central aluminium structure and a multi-layered skin similar in design to a spacesuit. From the inside out, it features an air barrier or ‘bladder’, an internal restraint that forms the primary structural loadbearing element, and a micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) shield. This is covered in a multilayer thermal insulation blanket and a woven silica-fiber layer known as Beta cloth. The MMOD is designed to protect the restraint and gas bladder and avoid debris penetrations that could lead to depressurisation and has already been proven by the Genesis modules.