NASA presents to the public the inflatable module to be coupled to the ISS

Remember an announcement by NASA about a project for the development of inflatable modules that should serve as an extension to the International Space Station? For the space agency has confirmed that will perform tests with the new "pulls" and released the video above, which shows how the coupling will be carried out.

The module - called Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) - will be developed by privately owned Bigelow Aerospace and will be used by NASA to test the performance of new space-expandable habitat technologies. The module is expected to be brought to ISS by SpaceX in 2015 for a two-year trial period.

Spatial performance

According to NASA, the BEAM will be transported by SpaceX Dragon, and will be coupled to the ISS Tranquility Module via a robotic arm controlled by the station astronauts. After this step, the crew will activate the pressurization system to inflate the extension using air stored in the BEAM itself.

The performance of the inflatable "pull" will be closely monitored by both station astronauts and NASA engineers here on Earth, who will keep an eye on how the module behaves when exposed to the space environment compared to traditional equipment made of aluminum. NASA engineers must also evaluate aspects such as leakage rates and structural integrity of BEAM over time.