Nasa's bouncy castle into orbit

June 12, 2016

SpaceX has developed an expandable activity module prototype that is slated to be attached to the International Space Station. The mini-module, called a BEAM will remain there, attached to the Tranquility module, for two years. 

In 2013, Bigelow and NASA had signed a $17.8 million contract to develop and launch the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. The company is also developing a larger module called the B 330, with twelve thousand cubic feet of breathing room, which could be a size of a bungalow. It will work as Bigelow’s backbone and it could link up with other B 330s, to form bulges and curls that are the first step in any great balloon art project.

For most of its stay during the testing period, BEAM will be empty, except for the air it shares with the rest of the module and there is no plan to use it as a storage closet. Same internal environment as the rest of the habitat will be maintained within BEAM. Such expandable space modules could be a turning point for the space technological advancement —liberating people from a tunnel-like and frankly cramped space-travel experience. The company believes its time in orbit will prove the technology worthy for humans.

Source:http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/spacex-launching-bouncy-castle-orbit.html