Lockheed Martin blew up a prototype of an inflatable orbital module [VIDEO]

(Lockheed Martin / https://bit.ly/3PQDXKK)

The aerospace company Lockheed Martin has successfully ruptured a prototype of an inflatable habitation module for Earth orbit or the Moon and Mars.

The shell collapsed when the pressure inside it exceeded six times the maximum allowable value.

NASA commissioned private space companies to develop prototypes of astronaut living modules back in 2016 as part of the NextSTEP-2 (Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2) program.

Six companies were selected, and one of them was Lockheed Martin.

Then, in 2018 Lockheed Martin presented a project for a residential module for space expeditions based on a capsule of a multi-purpose supply module.

Subsequently, the company turned its attention to the technology of creating inflatable residential modules.

These structures can be used both in near-Earth orbit and on the surface of the Moon or Mars, and they are compact when folded.

In mid-December 2022, the company conducted development tests on a prototype inflatable module to determine the maximum internal pressure that the shell can withstand.

During the testing, the prototype was equipped with hundreds of sensors, and high-speed cameras monitored the inflation process.

The tests were considered successful: the prototype of the residential module burst at a pressure of almost 20 atmospheres.

This is more than six times the maximum working pressure inside the module.

(YouTube / Lockheed Martin)

Sources:

• Lockheed Martin: https://lockheedmartin.com/inflatable-burst-test
• Space.com: https://www.space.com/lockheed-martin-space-habitat-explodes-video

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