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Let's just throw this old thing at the Moon and call it a day:
A cargo container that was built to fly on NASA's space shuttles is being repurposed as a prototype for a deep space habitat.
Lockheed Martin announced it will refurbish the Donatello multi-purpose logistics module (MLPM), transforming from it from its original, unrealized role as a supply conveyor for the International Space Station to a test and training model of a living area for astronauts working beyond Earth orbit. The work is being done under a public-private partnership between the aerospace corporation and NASA.
"We are excited to work with NASA to repurpose a historic piece of flight hardware," said Bill Pratt, Lockheed Martin's program manager for the deep space habitat contract, in a statement.
Donatello was one of three MPLMs that was designed to fly in the space shuttle payload bay to transfer cargo to the station. Built by the Italian Space Agency under a contract with NASA, two modules, Leonardo and Raffaello, flew on 12 shuttle missions between 2001 and 2011.
Also at Popular Mechanics.
Previously: NASA and International Partners Planning Orbital Lunar Outpost
NASA Eyeing Mini Space Station in Lunar Orbit as Stepping Stone to Mars
Related: Moon Base Could Cost Just $10 Billion Due to New Technologies
Should We Skip Mars for Now and Go to the Moon Again?
Cislunar 1000 Vision - Commercializing Space
Forget Mars, Colonize Titan
Japan Planning to Put a Man on the Moon Around 2030
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Absolutely.Geek on Tuesday July 25 2017, @11:46PM (1 child)
The article says 6.4 * 4.6 diameter; not sure but that is probable the OD (outer diameter) this thing has conical ends so from a total outside ~116m^3 it is probably closer to ~100m^3 internal living space.
Maybe something line the https://bigelowaerospace.com/b330/ [bigelowaerospace.com] would be better suited with 330m^3 of space and packing down much smaller for launch and transport; not that it is available yet, but it is not like they are launching this thing tomorrow anyway.
Don't trust the police or the government - Shihad: My mind's sedate.
(Score: 2) by turgid on Wednesday July 26 2017, @08:10AM
Why has the space industry been so slow to test and quality those inflatable habitats? I seem to remember them being first prototyped in the 1980s.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].