Bigelow’s big idea takes off

This Friday, a SpaceX supply mission will carry among other things, a 3,100 lb inflatable habitat test module built by Bigelow Aerospace. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) will expand from 3 cubic meters stowed to 16 cubic meters livable space when inflated. As a test article astronauts will not live or work in the module but over the next two years of the test, will spend several hours inside a number of times to test the environmental conditions. The two year test itself is to determine if BEAM can stand up to the rigors of space flight and meet the stringent standards required for crew use as an inflatable.

The night sky features a triangle of two planets, a bright star and the moon – Moon, Saturn, Mars, Antares, 6am in the south.
Jupiter high in the east at sunset.