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Russia Is Building an Inflatable Space Module of its Own
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/news/russia-is-building-an-inflatable-space-module-of-its-own-15706708
Russia Is Building an Inflatable Space Module of its Own
A leading spacecraft developer in Russia reveals the design of an inflatable space station module, raising some eyebrows on this side of the Atlantic, where Bigelow Aerospace has been developing something similar.
By Anatoly Zak July 18, 2013
A rendering of RKK Energia's inflatable ISS module.
RKK Energia, the manufacturer of the Soyuz spacecraft and the prime contractor on the Russian part of the International Space Station, quietly published in its annual report last week details on an innovative inflatable space habitat.
<snip>
The USSR pioneered inflatable structures in space with a flexible air lock that was launched aboard the Voskhod-2 spacecraft in 1965. During that historic mission, the inflatable design enabled the world's first space walk, by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. Soviet engineers also used inflatable airbags to soften landings of its early lunar probes. More recently, a Russian firm tried (with mixed results) to return cargo from orbit using an inflatable heat shield. (One small experimental cargo did return to Earth successfully in 2000, but a larger inflatable device was lost during the reentry, and several further reentry attempts were aborted due to launch failures.)
<snip>
An official representative of RKK Energia, Anatoly Khabarov said in an email to PopMech that "… unfortunately, at present, our developers can not provide anything for publication." However documents we obtained show that the company had initially considered fitting the inflatable structure into its 7-ton Progress cargo ship, which has been routinely used to deliver supplies and propellant to the ISS. In the past, the Progress was also successfully employed to deliver new modules to the orbiting outpost.
<snip>
"It is a first time I've heard of this, I am very surprised … wow!" Michael Gold, director of D.C. operations and business growth at Bigelow, told PopMech. "That would be outstanding [if Russia succeeds in the development of such a vehicle] … it is a great technology and I am glad to see that if the world adapts it, it will really help space exploration and lower its cost, which, obviously, is really important in this fiscally constrained environment."
Gerard Valle, a specialist in inflatable structures at Johnson Space Center and veteran of the Transhab project, agreed that inflatable technology provides favorable volume-to-mass ratio when compared to traditional metal spacecraft. At the same time, he warned, developers still face major technical risks and high costs.
<snip>
Russia Is Building an Inflatable Space Module of its Own
A leading spacecraft developer in Russia reveals the design of an inflatable space station module, raising some eyebrows on this side of the Atlantic, where Bigelow Aerospace has been developing something similar.
By Anatoly Zak July 18, 2013
A rendering of RKK Energia's inflatable ISS module.
RKK Energia, the manufacturer of the Soyuz spacecraft and the prime contractor on the Russian part of the International Space Station, quietly published in its annual report last week details on an innovative inflatable space habitat.
<snip>
The USSR pioneered inflatable structures in space with a flexible air lock that was launched aboard the Voskhod-2 spacecraft in 1965. During that historic mission, the inflatable design enabled the world's first space walk, by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. Soviet engineers also used inflatable airbags to soften landings of its early lunar probes. More recently, a Russian firm tried (with mixed results) to return cargo from orbit using an inflatable heat shield. (One small experimental cargo did return to Earth successfully in 2000, but a larger inflatable device was lost during the reentry, and several further reentry attempts were aborted due to launch failures.)
<snip>
An official representative of RKK Energia, Anatoly Khabarov said in an email to PopMech that "… unfortunately, at present, our developers can not provide anything for publication." However documents we obtained show that the company had initially considered fitting the inflatable structure into its 7-ton Progress cargo ship, which has been routinely used to deliver supplies and propellant to the ISS. In the past, the Progress was also successfully employed to deliver new modules to the orbiting outpost.
<snip>
"It is a first time I've heard of this, I am very surprised … wow!" Michael Gold, director of D.C. operations and business growth at Bigelow, told PopMech. "That would be outstanding [if Russia succeeds in the development of such a vehicle] … it is a great technology and I am glad to see that if the world adapts it, it will really help space exploration and lower its cost, which, obviously, is really important in this fiscally constrained environment."
Gerard Valle, a specialist in inflatable structures at Johnson Space Center and veteran of the Transhab project, agreed that inflatable technology provides favorable volume-to-mass ratio when compared to traditional metal spacecraft. At the same time, he warned, developers still face major technical risks and high costs.
<snip>
