Transhab

TransHab was a concept NASA for residential inflatable modules in space. The concept was developed in the 1990s at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and set back due to high costs. The private space company Bigelow Aerospace acquired the rights to the developed by NASA patents for TransHab and plans based on this concept, private space station for commercial use to install.

Historical Background

First experiments with inflatable technologies undertook NASA with Echo 1 and Echo 2 in 1960. The spherical satellite was launched into an orbit 1,500 km and was then inflated to a diameter of 30 m. This was then used for passive transmission of radio waves. The diameter of the ball is shrunk after one year at 18 m. The satellite was 8 years, until to burn-out, visible.

The first ideas for inflatable habitat modules developed in the same time when NASA engineers busy with space station constructions. One of these ideas was the Manned Space Laboratory erectable torus by a team of Langley Research Center. The torus should have a diameter of about 7 m and was drawn to scale from Goodyear as a trial ( Erdanwendung ) designed and constructed. However, at that time the developers had concerns about a perforation of the torus by micrometeorites. The stability of the torus, or by docking crew and equipment movements inside was questioned.

Another concept which has been developed at this time of the Langley scientists, was a hexagonal space station with six rigid modules that are connected to inflatable spokes with a non-rotating central module. The station should have a diameter of approximately 23 m and thus rotate slower. The non-rotating central module should be used for docking of spacecraft and for research.

With the beginning of the Apollo program, the work was gradually adjusted. The last tests showed that the hexagonal space station has with its rigid modules and walls, a significant advantage in terms of the heat radiation behavior and the micro- meteorite protection against the torus. The heat radiation behavior was tested in a thermal vacuum chamber over several months. It turned out that the walls of the rigid modules have a better insulating effect than the material in the torus. Regarding the protection against micrometeorites no qualitative statements could be made, since at that time there were no test facilities that could generate speeds.

The TransHab concept

The name TransHab is an acronym that means " transit habitat". The name refers to one of the original use of ideas, namely the use as a residential module of a spaceship for a flight to Mars. The second option was for the use on the ISS. In addition, the approach or technology should prove indirectly that such inflatable modules are also suitable for habitats on the Martian surface. The concept describes it:

  • The outer shell consisting of several layers: "External Thermal Blanket " - the external temperature insulation layer
  • "MOD Shielding " - the protective layers against micrometeorites and space debris
  • Determining a tension-resistant layer, which limits the expansion and thus the form - "Kevlar Restraint Layer"
  • "Redundant Bladders " - several layers of dense gas bubbles to the attitude of the atmosphere
  • "Internal Scuff Barrier " - the innermost Strapazschicht, which is touched by the users
  • Said core structure includes: a tunnel structure consisting of CFRP material
  • Several corridors, bulkhead ( floor and ceiling ) and several entrances to various levels
  • A water tank, which passes around the crew quarters as radiation protection
  • A docking mechanism
  • And a non-pressurized tunnel, which, inter alia, the compressed air tanks includes the deployment process

The TransHab concept for the ISS provided for a pressurized volume of 342 m³. This should consist of 4 levels, the docking level and the living and working levels. At the height of the levels of use was taken into account, so Level 1 and 3 about 2.4 m high and Level 2 is only 2.1 m. Level 2 is thus used for storage and for the crew quarters, whereas Level 1 as a meeting place, to social or professional interaction, and level 3 is used as a medical and exercise area. Both layers include observation window view of the earth or in space.

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