In 2016, NASA launched a new module for the International Space Station. While plenty of modules have been added to the station over the years, the one launched in 2016 was unique. It was the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), an experimental inflatable module that could make it easier to build space stations in the future. Now, NASA has extended the module’s contract for another three years.

When BEAM was first installed in 2016, NASA gave it a one-year contract. The module is experimental, after all, so its primary purpose was just to evaluate whether inflatable modules were a good idea. BEAM underwent many tests over the past year to see if it was durable enough to protect astronauts from micrometeorites and other space debris.

Now that NASA has extended BEAM’s mission duration, the project takes a slightly different route: The module will now undergo tests to see how well it blocks radiation from space. This will be important to know if space stations are ever built outside Earth orbit. If BEAM passes these tests, it could be used in NASA’s proposed Deep Space Gateway lunar station or in a possible Mars spacecraft.

Inside BEAM sit three radiation detectors, which continually measure the levels of radiation inside the module. Previous tests have shown that BEAM is about as good as other space station modules at blocking out radiation. Now, ISS astronauts are going to 3D-print radiation shields to put around the detectors, to see how much more radiation can be blocked out.

If the next three years prove that inflatable tech is capable of standing up to the rigors of space, we could start seeing more inflatable modules early next decade, when NASA starts construction on its Deep Space Gateway. By the end of the next decade, astronauts could be living in a mostly inflatable space station orbiting around the Moon.

Source: Space.com

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