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40-603: The B330 (previously known as the Nautilus space complex module and BA 330 ) was an inflatable space habitat privately developed by Bigelow Aerospace from 2010 until 2020. The design was evolved from NASA 's TransHab habitat concept. B330 was to have 330 cubic meters (12,000 cu ft) of internal volume, hence its numeric designation. The craft was intended to support zero-gravity research including scientific missions and manufacturing processes. Beyond its industrial and scientific purposes, however, it had potential as

80-472: A SpaceX Dragon 2 was projected to be US$ 26.5 million per seat. At the time, Bigelow indicated that the habitat could be launch-ready by 2017. Also in 2014, Bigelow announced notional designs for two enhanced B330s, but has explicitly stated that it would need to secure an anchor customer to go forward with building and launching any systems beyond low Earth orbit (BLEO). In April 2016, Bigelow signed an agreement with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch

120-521: A B330 would be the sixth spacecraft component making up the notional Bigelow Commercial Space Station . The Sundancer development was later halted, with a decision to move directly from the Genesis -series prototypes to the B330. As of November 2013, Bigelow Aerospace indicated that the company has the financial capacity to produce at least two B330 habitats, along with a couple of transit tugs and

160-612: A conceptual proposal for a long-duration crewed space transport vehicle which includes an artificial gravity space habitat intended to promote crew-health for a crew of up to six persons on missions of up to two years duration. Called the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV), the partial-G torus-ring centrifuge would utilize both standard metal-frame and inflatable spacecraft structures and would provide 0.11 to 0.69 G (1.1–6.8 m/s or 3.6–22.3 ft/s ). Related to MMSEV

200-476: A destination for space tourism and a craft for missions destined for the Moon and Mars . Several test articles were built and tested in ground test facilities, but no flight versions were built. Compared to their volume-mass ratio, expandable modules offer more living space than traditional rigid modules. For example, the pressurized volume of a 23-tonne B330 module was 330 m , compared to 106 m of

240-413: A docking node if Bigelow is able to secure commercial customers to pay for approximately half of the launch costs for these systems. In February 2014, some pricing and other lease details were made public. The B330 lease rate will be US$ 25 million for one-third of the station—110 cubic metres (3,900 cu ft)—for a 60-day lease and a round-trip taxi-seat to the B330 in low Earth orbit (LEO) on

280-501: A rigid and lightweight plate is produced, which can improve the efficiency of the soundboard. While the 'laminated' technique was created by Matthias Dammann, the use of Nomex within was first employed by luthier Gernot Wagner. The deaths in fiery crashes of race car drivers Fireball Roberts at Charlotte, and Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald at Indianapolis in 1964, led to the use of flame-resistant fabrics such as Nomex. In early 1966 Competition Press and Autoweek reported: "During

320-551: A total volume that was only somewhat less than that of the International Space Station , though built from fewer and larger individual modules. In early 2010, Bigelow selected Orbitec as the supplier for environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS). As of February 2010, an initial launch of the B330 was slated to be no earlier than 2015, following a notional launch of the smaller Sundancer habitat in 2014. In July 2010, Bigelow announced that

360-605: Is a common piece of racing and firefighting equipment. It is placed on the head on top of a firefighter 's face mask. The hood protects the portions of the head not covered by the helmet and face mask from the intense heat of the fire. Wildland firefighters wear Nomex shirts and trousers as part of their personal protective equipment during wildfire suppression activities. Racing car drivers wear driving suits constructed of Nomex and or other fire retardant materials , along with Nomex gloves, long underwear, balaclavas , socks, helmet lining and shoes, to protect them in

400-422: Is an example of a meta variant of the aramids ( Kevlar is a para aramid). Unlike Kevlar, Nomex strands cannot align during filament polymerization and have less strength: its ultimate tensile strength is 340 MPa (49,000 psi). However, it has excellent thermal, chemical, and radiation resistance for a polymer material. It can withstand temperatures of up to 370 °C (700 °F). Nomex

440-480: Is developing an inflatable habitat, the first intended use of which was the main module of the Starlab space station. However, this module was cancelled and replaced by a rigid module developed by Airbus. Max Space, a startup, is developing an inflatable habitat. The 1965 Voskhod 2 mission employed an inflatable airlock for the first ever EVA . As of 2019, the only designs that have flown in space have been

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480-478: Is produced by condensation reaction from the monomers m -phenylenediamine and isophthaloyl chloride . It is sold in both fiber and sheet forms and is used as a fabric where resistance from heat and flame is required. Nomex sheet is actually a calendered paper and made in a similar fashion. Nomex Type 410 paper was the first Nomex paper developed and one of the higher volume grades made, mostly for electrical insulation purposes. Wilfred Sweeny (1926–2011),

520-532: Is the ISS Centrifuge Demo, proposed in 2011 as a demonstration project preparatory to the final design of the larger torus centrifuge space habitat for the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle. The structure would have an outside diameter of 30 feet (9.1 m) with a 30-inch (760 mm) ring interior cross-section diameter and would provide 0.08 to 0.51 G (0.8–5 m/s or 2.6–16.4 ft/s ). This test and evaluation centrifuge would have

560-557: The CSS Skywalker , a space station based upon using B330 modules to act as an orbital hotel . Plans in 2010 continued to call for construction of a space station, but without the CSS Skywalker moniker, with "more usable volume than the existing International Space Station ". Those plans included a complex of two smaller Sundancer modules, a combined node and propulsion module and one full-size B330 in order to provide

600-661: The Genesis I , Genesis II , and Bigelow Expandable Activity Module from Bigelow Aerospace . Nomex Nomex is a trademarked term for an inherently flame-resistant fabric with meta - aramid chemistry widely used for industrial applications and fire protection equipment. It was developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967. The fabric is often combined with Kevlar to increase its resistance for breakage or tear. Nomex and related aramid polymers are related to nylon , but have aromatic backbones, and hence are more rigid and more durable. Nomex

640-574: The Kevlar , etc. of the NASA technology. Its design is based on the cancelled NASA TransHab program. Bigelow gained access to TransHab engineers and workers, some of whom later went on to advise Bigelow's project. The module follows the launch of two demonstration modules successfully tested in Earth orbit, Genesis I in 2006 and Genesis II in 2007. As of 2005, Bigelow Aerospace had plans to develop

680-483: The Stiletto 27 . Nomex is used in industrial applications as a filter in exhaust filtration systems, typically a baghouse , that deal with hot gas emissions found in asphalt plants, cement plants, steel smelting facilities, and non-ferrous metal production facilities. Nomex is used in some classical guitar tops in order to create a 'composite' soundboard. When Nomex is laminated between 2 spruce or cedar 'skins',

720-447: The 15-tonne ISS Destiny module . Thus B330 offered 210% more habitable space, with an increase in mass of only 53%. Bigelow claimed that the module provided radiation protection equivalent to, and ballistic protection superior to, the International Space Station . The exterior of the craft was 16.88 meters (55 ft) long by 6.7 meters (22 ft) in diameter and the module weighed 23,000 kilograms (50,000 lb). The habitat

760-645: The B330 under the second phase of Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships . The module was called the Expandable Bigelow Advanced Station Enhancement (XBASE), as Bigelow hoped to test the module by attaching it to the International Space Station. Inflatable space habitat The first formal design and manufacture of an inflatable space habitat was in 1961 with a space station design produced by Goodyear (although this design

800-611: The B330 was in final design with construction getting underway. Bigelow began to publicly refer to the initial configuration—two Sundancer modules and one B330 module—as "Space Complex Alpha" in October 2010. In March 2020, Bigelow laid off all 88 of its employees. As of January 2024 the company remains dormant and is currently considered defunct. In April 2021 Sierra Space was founded, which continued to develop inflatable space habitats as its predecessor Bigelow Aerospace had done previously. In early 2011, NASA put forward

840-639: The DuPont scientist responsible for discoveries leading to Nomex, earned a DuPont Lavoisier Medal in 2002 partly for this work. Nomex Paper is used in electrical laminates such as circuit boards and transformer cores as well as fireproof honeycomb structures where it is saturated with a phenolic resin . Honeycomb structures such as these, as well as mylar -Nomex laminates, are used extensively in aircraft construction. Firefighting, military aviation, and vehicle racing industries use Nomex to create clothing and equipment that can withstand intense heat. A Nomex hood

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880-657: The U.S. space program, Nomex has been used for the Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment on the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (in conjunction with Kevlar and Gore-Tex ) and ACES pressure suit, both for fire and extreme environment (water immersion to near vacuum) protection, and as thermal blankets on the payload bay doors, fuselage, and upper wing surfaces of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. It has also been used for

920-903: The airbags for the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover missions , the Galileo atmospheric probe , the Cassini-Huygens Titan probe, as an external covering on the AERCam Sprint , and is planned to be incorporated into NASA's upcoming Crew Exploration Vehicle . Nomex has been used as an acoustic material in Troy, NY, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center ( EMPAC ) main concert hall. A ceiling canopy of Nomex reflects high and mid frequency sound, providing reverberation, while letting lower frequency sound partially pass through

960-549: The canopy. According to RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson, EMPAC is the first venue in the world to use Nomex as an architectural material for acoustic reasons. Nomex (like Kevlar) is also used in the production of loudspeaker drivers. Honeycomb-structured Nomex paper is used as a spacer between layers of lead in the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter, and as a laminate core for hull and deck construction in custom boats such as Stiletto Catamarans like

1000-430: The capability to become a sleep module for ISS crew. LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment or Large Inflatable Fabric Environment) is an inflatable space habitat currently being developed by Sierra Space . The proposed Orbital Reef commercial space station includes multiple LIFE habitats in its design. Lunar Surface Habitat is an inflatable habitat proposed by NASA for Artemis program . Lockheed Martin

1040-499: The crews of other long-duration space missions, which had fairly cramped quarters for the several-day flight. While details on the purchased TransHab technology have not been published, NASA states the following about the structure of the module that Bigelow adopted as a starting point: With almost two dozen layers, TransHab's foot-thick inflatable shell is a marvel of innovative design. The layers are fashioned to break up particles of space debris and tiny meteorites that may hit

1080-423: The design for use in a number of potential civil and commercial applications. The construction of an inflatable space habitat is determined by its design objectives. However common elements include interwoven layers of highly durable materials such as Kevlar and mylar around a flexible air bladder which is used to retain an atmosphere . The shape of the module is maintained by the pressure difference between

1120-417: The event of a fire . Military pilots and aircrew wear flight suits made of over 92 percent Nomex to protect them from cockpit fires. It is also worn as sailors' anti-flash gear . Troops riding in ground vehicles often wear Nomex for fire protection. Kevlar thread is often used to hold the fabric together at seams. Military tank drivers also typically use Nomex hoods as protection against fire. In

1160-515: The first B330 module in 2020 using an Atlas V rocket. In October 2017, Bigelow and ULA announced they are working together to launch a B330 expandable module on ULA's Vulcan launch vehicle. After outfitting in Earth orbit, the B330 will be boosted to low lunar orbit by two further Vulcan ACES launches by the end of 2022 to serve as a lunar depot. The first B330 launch was originally planned to be launched aboard an Atlas V rocket, but ULA stated in October 2017 that its in-development Vulcan rocket

1200-426: The food-packing industry. The innermost layer, forming the inside wall of the module, is Nomex cloth, a fireproof material that also protects the bladder from scuffs and scratches. Bigelow has described their technology to news media and have indicated that their proprietary technology inflatable shell , now in validation test in low-Earth orbit in two subscale spacecraft, incorporates a layer of Vectran , along with

1240-447: The hoods of many cars, spaced between several-inches-thick layers of open cell foam, similar to foam used for chair cushions on Earth. The Nextel and foam layers cause a particle to shatter as it hits, losing more and more of its energy as it penetrates deeper. Many layers into the shell is a layer of super-strong woven Kevlar that holds the module's shape. The air is held inside by three bladders of Combitherm , material commonly used in

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1280-761: The internal atmosphere and the outside vacuum . The inflatable Bigelow Aerospace modules have an internal core which provides structural support during its launch into orbit . Currently the main areas of research are being undertaken by Sierra Space and NASA . NASA is currently studying inflatable lunar bases with the planetary surface habitat and airlock unit which is in an early prototype phase, and has conceptual proposals for utilizing expandable-technology space structures in cislunar and interplanetary crewed exploration spacecraft. From its founding in 1998 until its closing in 2020, Bigelow Aerospace performed pioneering research and development work in coordination with NASA on inflatable space habitats. In 2021 Sierra Space

1320-430: The module fully expanded. The walls had 24 to 36 layers for ballistic protection, thermal protection , and radiation protection, as hard as concrete once the craft was fully expanded. The exterior had four large windows coated with a UV protection film. Dual-redundant control thruster systems were to be used, one using mono-propellant hydrazine and the other using gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen. The second system

1360-411: The shell with a speed seven times as fast as a bullet. The outer layers protect multiple inner bladders, made of a material that holds in the module's air. The shell also provides insulation from temperatures in space that can range from +121°C (+250°F) in sunlight to -128°C (-200°F) in the shade. The key to the debris protection is successive layers of Nextel, a material commonly used as insulation under

1400-548: Was berthed to the station on April 16, and was expanded and pressurized on May 28, 2016. The Bigelow Next-Generation Commercial Space Station , composed of two types of expandable space habitat modules, was announced in mid-2010. The initial build-out of the station was announced for 2014/2015, and would have consisted of two Sundancer modules and one B330 module. Bigelow has publicly shown space station design configurations with up to nine B330 modules containing 100,000 cu ft (2,800 m ) of habitable space In 2011

1440-444: Was designed with two solar arrays and two thermal radiator arrays for heat dissipation, as well as life support systems to sustain a crew of up to six astronauts. It had "a zero-g toilet with solid and liquid waste collection, semi-private berths for each crew member, exercise equipment, a food storage and preparation station, lighting, and a personal hygiene station." The wall thickness was approximately 0.46 metres (18 in) with

1480-470: Was founded, which continued the development of inflatable space habitats in partnership with NASA. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) was an experimental expandable space station module developed by the now defunct Bigelow Aerospace , under contract to NASA, for testing as a temporary module on the International Space Station (ISS) from 2016 to at least 2020. It arrived at the ISS on April 10, 2016,

1520-415: Was never flown). A proposal released in 1989 by Johnson Space Center's Man Systems Division outlined a 16 metres (52 ft) diameter spherical habitat lunar outpost which was partially buried in the lunar surface. An inflatable module called TransHab (a portmanteau of Trans Habitation ) was proposed for the International Space Station , and later the private company Bigelow Aerospace revived

1560-441: Was refillable from the on-board environmental control system. Module-specific avionics were included for navigation , re-boost , docking , and other on-orbit maneuvering . Bigelow Aerospace developed the B330 module to mate with other spacecraft such as Russian Soyuz spacecraft , SpaceX's Dragon V2 , Boeing's CST-100 Starliner , and NASA's Orion spacecraft . The module's large size was intended to benefit lunar astronauts or

1600-563: Was the only launch vehicle available with the performance and fairing capacity to carry the module. The timeline may be 'aspirational' as ULA have indicated that the Vulcan will transition to using ACES upper stage around 2024. Bigelow ceased all work on the B330 in March 2020 as it laid off its entire 88-person workforce. In August 2016 Bigelow negotiated an agreement with NASA to develop a full-sized ground prototype Deep Space Habitation based on

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