Are you trying to suggest that Rockwell International was ripping off Jim Henson? Nah, I don’t believe it.
2 Likes
I grew up on a steady diet of Gerry Anderson TV series so I fully expect all spacecraft to blow up in horrible, and yet strangely satisfying, explosions.
Congratulations to everyone involved on what looks like to have been a successful test of a bonkers idea.
And inflatables appear to be the future. NASA also testing an inflatable heatshield called LOFTID which would be useful for landing big payloads on Mars as one of the current limits on lander and rover sizes is the size of a heat shields that can be tucked inside a fairing.
3 Likes
There are some chinese companies that can make any inflatable structure you want/need. You can buy It in sites like Alibaba.
2 Likes
That meme but use this Spongebob for the last one.
This video is a polished attempt to bring the energy of a space launch to product testing and the burst is dramatic enough to make it work.
The most interesting part for me was at the end where they emphasized that they are not a space company that is focused on escaping or abandoning earth but about making life on earth better: basically anti-Musk and Space X branding.
3 Likes
Works for me. No notes
6 Likes
Inflatables have been used in space flights since 1965.
Voskhod 2 had an inflatable airlock, for Leonov making the first ever spacewalk.
2 Likes
One of the ISS modules is an inflatable, and has been attached since 2016. It seems to still be doing ok:
(As Bigelow is now defunct, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of their engineers ended up at Sierra to build the one in the article)
4 Likes
inflatable spongebob?
Not to mention that space suits are inflatable and are sometimes described as small wearable spaceships.
I liked the Drunk History depiction of the Voskhod 2 mission. The cosmonaut’s suit ballooned larger after he exited the spacecraft and he eventually had to reduce pressure to be able to fit back inside. It was a pretty sketchy situation there.
2 Likes
No more like a Hulk joke, as Gamma rays are supposedly what turned him into the Hulk.
But also, Gamma rays will penetrate protection like the Hulk through a wall.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
