NASA
and
Sierra
Space
blew
up
another
space
habitat
in
June,
and
everyone
is
smiling
about
it.
That’s
because
the
full-size
inflatable
structure
in
this
“ultimate
burst
pressure”
test
only
failed
after
exceeding
NASA’s
recommended
x4
safety
levels
by
22
percent.
Sierra
Space’s
inflatable
structure,
known
as
a
Large
Integrated
Flexible
Environment,
or
LIFE,
had
its
last
stress
test
in
January.
LIFE
is
built
from
“basket-weaved
Vectran
fabrics”
that
strengthen
once
inflated.
It’s
intended
to
be
used
as
a
component
in
the
Orbital
Reef
space
station
project
involving
NASA,
Blue
Origin,
and
Sierra
Space.
“This
second
burst
test
will
get
us
the
design,
repeatability,
and
architecture
as
we
go
towards
our
certification
of
the
pressure
shell
of
the
LIFE
habitat,”
Sierra
Space’s
program
manager
for
soft
goods,
Beth
Licavoli,
said
before
the
test.
This
second
test
model,
called
LIFE
285,
stood
over
20
feet
tall
and
is
about
the
size
of
“an
average
family
home.”
Compared
to
the
previous
test
model,
this
has
larger
and
lighter
“blanking
plates”
on
the
walls,
which
Licavoli
says
allow
the
model
to
expand
and
have
larger
windows.
The
latest
stress
test
reached
74psi
before
bursting,
enough
to
verify
“scalability
for
10
cubic-meter
and
up
to
1,400
cubic-meter
structures.”
Next
year,
Sierra
Space
plans
to
test
its
first
500-cubic-meter
space
station
technology.
(Originally posted by Umar Shakir)
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