NASA Successfully Attaches Inflatable ‘Bedroom’ To International Space Station

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) was successfully installed to the International Space Station (ISS) over the weekend, according to reports from NASA. The inflatable space habitat was launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

A ground control team at NASA unpacked and attached the expandable module to the ISS with a robot arm at 5:36 am EDT on Sunday. The ISS was flying about 400 km above earth, over the Southern Pacific Ocean, at the time of installation.

The successful installation of BEAM, which is about the size of a small bedroom, sets the stage for testing the feasibility of inflatable space habitats for astronauts, researchers and perhaps even tourists in the future. Researchers will be able to observe its performance in protecting against solar radiation and extreme space temperature. Members of the ISS will also install sensors to observe micrometeoroid impacts and orbital debris.

The module, which will be inflated with air in late May, will be the subject of a two year experiment that will observe how the expandable space habitat adapts to the harsh environment of space. BEAM, which weighs 1,400 kg, is made of impact resistant, Kevlar-like materials and other fabrics. Millions of dollars could be saved in the launch cost of the lightweight unit as compared to metal modules. According to reports, modules like these can provide astronauts with better protection from radiation. BEAM will stay attached to the space station for a two year test period, following which it will be detached and consequently the earth's atmosphere will burn it up.

Bigelow Aerospace, the manufacturer of BEAM, had previously tested two unmanned prototypes around 10 years ago; however this is the first inflatable module that will host astronauts. Currently, the company is working on developing modules that are 20 times the size of BEAM. NASA is also looking at expandable habitats for serving as living quarters for astronauts during the three year duration that will take to reach and come back from MARS respectively.