Moon News  
NASA Tests Lunar Habitat In Extreme Antarctic Environment

illustration only
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Nov 15, 2007
NASA will use the cold, harsh, isolated landscape of Antarctica to test one of its concepts for astronaut housing on the moon. The agency is sending a prototype inflatable habitat to Antarctica to see how it stands up during a year of use. Agency officials viewed the habitat Wednesday at ILC Dover in Frederica, Del., as it was inflated one last time before being packed and shipped to Antarctica's McMurdo Station.

NASA is partnering on the project with the National Science Foundation, Arlington, Va., which manages McMurdo Station, and ILC Dover, the company that manufactured the prototype structure. All three organizations will share data from the 13-month test, which runs from January 2008 to February 2009. An inflatable habitat is one of several concepts being considered for astronaut housing on the moon.

"Testing the inflatable habitat in one of the harshest, most remote sites on Earth gives us the opportunity to see what it would be like to use for lunar exploration," said Paul Lockhart, director of Constellation Systems for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Headquarters, Washington.

NASA's Constellation Program is working to send humans back to the moon by 2020. After initial sorties, the astronauts will set up a lunar outpost for long-duration stays, and they will need a place to live. The agency is developing concepts for habitation modules that provide protection for the astronauts and are easy to transport to the lunar surface.

"To land one pound of supplies on the lunar surface, it'll require us to launch 125 pounds of hardware and fuel to get it there," Lockhart said.

"So our habitation concepts have to be lightweight as well as durable. This prototype inflatable habitat can be taken down and redeployed multiple times, and it only takes four crew members a few hours to set up, permitting exploration beyond the initial landing area."

The structure looks something like an inflatable backyard bounce house for children, but it is far more sophisticated. It is insulated and heated, has power and is pressurized. It offers 384 square feet of living space and has, at its highest point, an 8-foot ceiling. During the test period, sensors will allow engineers to monitor the habitat's performance.

The National Science Foundation also is interested in lighter, easier-to-assemble habitats. It currently uses a 50-year-old design known as a Jamesway hut, which is bulky and complex in comparison to the habitat being tested.

Modern variations on the Jamesway, although lighter, are still rigid and difficult to ship, with limited insulation. During the test of the new inflatable habitat, the foundation will study improvements in packing, transportation and set up, as well as power consumption and damage tolerance for this newest variation of the concept.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Constellation Program at NASA
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Japan shoots first high-definition of Earth rising
Tokyo (AFP) Nov 14, 2007
Japan's space agency said Wednesday it has shot the first high-definition image of the Earth rising, showing a crystal clear blue planet emerging from the moon's horizon.







  • Orbital Outfitters Debuts IS3C - First-Ever Fully Functional Commercial Pressure Spacesuit
  • Europe's comet-chasing probe completes key flyby
  • Boeing Completes Prototype Heat Shield For NASA Orion Spacecraft
  • Russia to stay at Baikonur until 2020

  • Rover Finds Way To Brush Rock Surfaces Despite Setbacks
  • Opportunity's Rock Abrasion Tool Shows Anomalous Behavior
  • Spirit Continues Drive As Power Levels Decline
  • The Appeal Of Mars

  • Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2
  • Nuclear Power In Space
  • Outside View: Nuclear future in space
  • Could NASA Get To Pluto Faster? Space Expert Says Yes - By Thinking Nuclear

  • Planets Forming In Pleiades Star Cluster
  • Scientists Discover Record Fifth Planet Orbiting Nearby Star
  • Predicting Planets
  • Star System Just Right For Building An Earth

  • NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Carbon Nanotube Manufacturing Technology Wins Nano 50 Award
  • World's Smallest Radio Uses Single Nanotube To Pick Up Good Vibrations
  • US Government Delays Nanotechnology Safety Measures
  • Natural Gas Nanotech

  • Spaceflight Shown To Alter Ability Of Bacteria To Cause Disease
  • Cardiovascular System Gets Lazy In Space
  • Creating The Ultimate Artificial Arm
  • A Rocket-Powered Prosthetic Arm

  • Ariane 5 Launches Over Nine Tonne To GEO Transfer Orbit
  • Ariane 5 rocket puts British, Brazilian satellites into orbit
  • Zenit Launch Delayed Until November 14
  • United Launch Alliance Successfully Completes First Operational Delta IV Heavy Launch

  • Northrop Grumman Demonstrates New Rocket Engine Design Using Oxygen And Methane Propellants
  • Groundbreaking Signals Start Of NASA Constellation Flight Tests
  • SpaceX Completes Development Of Merlin Regeneratively Cooled Rocket Engine
  • ATK Selects Avionics Contractor For Ares I First Stage

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement