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The military is looking at inflatable structures as a way to cut launch costs, increase spacecraft size and reduce power demands. Last year, it awarded a $750,000 contract to California-based SpaceDev to develop deployable booms for satellites. The technology has caught NASA's eye as well. In the 1990s, the space agency developed a prototype inflatable habitat called TransHab. Originally designed for use on Mars, the system was revamped for use as a crew living quarters aboard the space station. Budget cuts forced NASA to cancel the project in 2000, but the technology was transferred to private industry. Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace is using the TransHab design for a proposed complex of stations and habitats in orbit for commercial use. Two prototype inflatable spacecraft, the Genesis 1 and 2, are already in orbit. Bigelow plans to launch its first human habitable spacecraft, the Sundancer, in about two years. Related Links: Irene Klotz's blog: Space Diary |
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