This Is NASA's New Space Station...And it just exploded

NASA's ISS won't be around for much longer so they are partnering with companies like Sierra Space for the next generation of Space Station and it's going to be inflatable!
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[@DeltaNovum]

I'm guessing a very long hose to supply air and water would be less of a engineering problem than an actual space lift? If we had an easy supply of those, paired with these kinds of modules, space fairing would become exponentially easier. Especially if we get a moon base and a moon mine running.

[@batcollins3714]

Living in a low gravity of zero gravity environment caused huge damage to the human body as we have evolved over millions of years to survive under Earth conditions. Zero or low gravity causes brittle bones and weak muscles. Living in space is a no brainer.

[@anteros__]

I think the concept is very promising and I'm glad that these tests are proving that. I do think that they should do a test launch and have the habitat sit dormant for at least 3-5 months in space just to observe what could happen in that short period of time with the outer structure.

[@nmjgd4083]

I think it should be even longer. But it shouldn't be simply for testing. No one should live for a year or year and half. And every 3-4 months they should add new capsule. This is long enough time period and good enough indicator to see the amount of damage. Which it would take in space. Afterwards, if result are bad simply redo. Or let's hope it is success and directly start using space station which now only needs to interior stuff to fill it.

[@WhiskeyAfterHours]

its a good thought but no company has the funding to do what you just described. Sierra does plan on an intital pathfinder mission for their LIFE technology in 2026@@nmjgd4083

[@unincognito3689]

There has already been an earlier design on the ISS for 8 years. That long enough for ya?

[@simonallan9941]

Yes and thats where a pressure test should be tried.

[@Planet-Anime]

They always de test launches you don't need to worry

[@allanturmaine5496]

Basketweaving in space. It's weird to see the "tech tree" coming full circle.

[@Guardrailkid]

they just need a few science points to unlock it "inflatables", it's a hustle accepting "Save Graemy from mun's low orbit" contracts though 🤣

[@SewTubular]

What happens if aliens launch a giant sewing needle at the inflatable space station ?

[@allanturmaine5496]

@@SewTubular Men In Black? This post right here. He's working for the aliums.

[@XAirForce]

OK, but when the giant space cat comes along and starts playing with your ball of yarn, don’t come complaining to me😂. It actually looks like something you would use to crochet with

[@ralph3728]

How do you know about the giant space cat?

[@SkellyMcBones]

@@ralph3728 connections obviously

[@circle4602]

what if we pointed a laser at a nearby asteroid to distract the giant space cat

[@user-iy9cy4tl2h]

😂😅😊👍👍😸

[@nickv1212]

Damn. Don't be surprised if you find lasers being pointed at your head, but instead of getting a bullet you're gonna get a giant space paw smacking you.

[@jormungandrtheworldserpent8382]

the biggest hurdle this tech has to get over is peoples perception of what makes a strong station even with things like Kevlar to prove otherwise people mostly still think something cant be both flexible and strong

[@shanent5793]

They'll get over it if it's cheap enough

[@nmjgd4083]

I don't think that is a big problem. The first ones will be for scientists either way. (We will have humanities bravest and smartest as test subjects LOL) After people see the result, thats it.

[@N04hrk]

humans intrusive thoughts are gonna trash this idea. like: "i wonder if it will brake if i poke it with a pencil." xD

[@shanent5793]

@@dansmith16 sewing is women's work anyways so it's not a problem

[@billykorando6820]

@@nmjgd4083yea agreed, the mass public isn’t going up into space anytime soon. These technologies would have many years, of being proven out before any general public steps… or I guess floats aboard.

[@DrVelvetPHD]

I used to work as a janitor at the SNC building in Louisville, CO. I got to watch the dream chaser being built. Such a cool experience!

[@OurSpaceshipEarth]

Spy! *pointing!*

[@DrVelvetPHD]

@@OurSpaceshipEarth lol, that's what they seemed to be worried about. Absolute no pictures! There was even papers (that I probably shouldn't have read) where our government was warning about the likelihood of Chinese and Russian interference.

[@BaBa-rs2pg]

I love your videos, but the clickbaiting titles are unnecessary in my opinion

[@nadca2]

Not NASA and this burst test happened two weeks ago!

[@echelonrank3927]

@@nadca2 obsolete

[@lebronjamesharden3958]

this channel is better than most space clickbaiter channels tbh

[@SentinalhMC]

They're absolutely necessary to appear in the algorithm

[@xFKNTOOLx]

@@SentinalhMC nah. There must be some level of integrity.

[@Tinman_56]

Perhaps this life module should be advertised as an expanding habitat and not an inflatable one unless, of course, if it requires the air pressure to remain "inflated." The interior design and the equipment installed would be interesting to see. ISS is a nightmare with wires and equipment and such.

[@Tinman_56]

@piisfun if air pressure is required to keep the module inflated, then it won't be safe for astronauts to live and work inside it for long durations. Even though there's been one on the ISS for a couple of years, it has yet to be seen in any NASA videos as being used in ISS activities. These modules would be best utilized as lifeboats more than anything else.

[@ShiftyMcGoggles]

I can definitely see the module having a solid trunking core for cable/pipe management that goes down the length of it, to each of the modules' ends, with the idea of building divider fins outward from there to create separate rooms where needed. Deployment in space would be interesting, but possible.

[@Tinman_56]

@@piisfun that's the part that is concerning. If we need to keep it pressurized, other than for breathing purposes, then it's not very structurally sound to support electronics, electrical, and scientific equipment and living quarters. 😎

[@pleasureincontempt3645]

In Futurama, the spaceship was going invlountarily into an ocean to experience several atmospheres of pressure. When asked how deep the ship could go, the captain (Leela) could only assert that the ship was rated for only 0 Atmosheres. Brilliant writers!

[@NoNameAtAll2]

a) it was professor who answered b) it is a spaceship, so it's rated somewhere between 0 atmospheres and 1

[@marsrocket]

There’s an xkcd video about submarines in space that’s the same kind of thing

[@Rkwlgjender]

4:17 I could see a potentially cool use of thermal imaging for inspecting the integrity of the station as mmod strikes occur. When looking from the inside, any spots with temperature differences could indicate a puncture in the thermal layer, and the scale of that temperature difference would show how many layers were impacted

[@ardma02]

Once again, great video!!!! I know all of this information already and still watched every second of this video.

[@youtubeisapublisher6407]

Just to be completely clear, even a soft rubber-composition space station would not "pop like a balloon" if pierced by a micrometeorite, or under basically any other circumstance unless it was demolished with explosives. The pressure at which tires for example explode is around 200psi, or about 14-15x atmospheric pressure, that is, the difference between the pressure inside of the tire and outside is something like +13-14 Bar. The maximum possible difference between the inside and outside of a space station in air pressure is, for obvious reasons, only +1 Bar. This also assumes that the station is actually pressurized to one full atmosphere, which is doesn't have to be at all, it could drop as low as 70% normal pressure and given a few hours of acclimation time the astronauts living aboard it would be none the worse for wear. The major issue of a soft rubber "balloon" station would be wear and tear from heat cycling, which is the same thing that's wearing the ISS down now. In direct sunlight the temperature in Earth Orbit can get as hot as the inside of a convection oven, while in shadow on the opposite side of the planet it can be more than -200F. These kinds of thermal stresses would in a matter of only a few cycles, rapidly demolish any manmade structure not specifically insulated by layers of para-aramid fiber and high-albedo metal (like the ISS is) away until they became brittle and simply fell apart. That's why nobody plans to use rubber for an expandable station, because it would dry out, crack, and basically disintegrate rapidly in the environment of space.

[@DundG]

Music in the background? Love the ambience! And good gournalism on these projects. Keep them comin!

[@jasonl3445]

Great video thanks for sharing :)

[@i-love-space390]

Good video with a lot of info. It is a real horse race to see which company will be operational in LEO first. Personally, I would love to see Sierra ditch BO and partner with JAXA. The JAXA modules on the ISS are almost a space station by itself, with its own crew quarters and robot arm. Although I know you love the Dream Chaser, (so do I), but it has yet to fly in CARGO CONFIGURATION. Flying a CREW-rated Dream Chaser is still going to take some time. For reference let us recall the length of time between Cargo Dragon and Dragon 2 Crew. Crew rated vehicles are much tougher to certify than Cargo spacecraft. SpaceX made it a point to create Cargo Dragon with a pressurized module and deliberately built it with the human rating process in mind. It still took them over 7 years from the Cargo Dragon's 1st docking to make the manned successor operational. Hopefully, Crew Dream Chaser will not be as extensive of a modification as Dragon 2 was, but my bet is at least 2-3 Years for NASA certification. And I would doubt anyone will fly until it is NASA certified. The only alternative would be FAA certification, which let's be realistic, is even SLOWER.

[@tubepets8055]

On one of my other channels, I have a vid that mentions an idea I dreamed up about putting a scaffolding structure baround the balloon, and then placing high impact "shingles" say 3ft by 3ft on that structure. Results in an extra layer of protection , including from posible impacts of other space vehicles or their engines. The structure can also be used as a place to hold or store other things such as for spacewalks, etc.

[@TheZombieSaints]

I've got a piece of Skylab in a block of acrylic. Just looks like a piece of burned fibreglass or maybe a kevlar type of material. Still pretty cool though I reckon. Great video BTW. I've been wondering how the inflatable pod things have been going

[@bennichols1113]

That is very cool.

[@petert3355]

You do know NASA got fined for Skylab right. To this day, they still have not paid up yet.

[@fastshuther]

I'm glad this has been picking up over the years

[@norliasmith]

Safety factor of 5:1 for the pressure rating, decent numbers

[@loadingnewads]

Expected Waiting for another one to be tested

[@jameswilson5165]

SPMS Stay Puff Marshmellow Station. Let's get 'em up and Puffed!

[@d3str0i3r]

important to note just how high a pressure that thing exploded at, they had two failures in that test, and the only failure they had before target pressure was in the hard metal fittings they were using to inflate the structure, i'm also rolling this around in my head and i'm not seeing any reason for hard portions of the station? except maybe in an intersection of four or more units

[@mrchapin94]

Just imagine how many of those you could put in the starship.

[@nadca2]

nasa is going to accomplish so much with their starship

[@mrchapin94]

@nadca2 I rather nasa focus perfecting. Now life supports for space stations and rockets. Instead of the making rockets, they're supposed to be the big R&D help. That's why they're letting private sectors take over the rocket making.

[@ginglebret]

You haven't been paying enough attention to Starship apparently. The whole project is an ill-conceived and poorly executed mess.

[@mrchapin94]

@ginglebret that's true but I want us to start building bigger space stations building them in space in a locked orbit

[@cosmickitteh]

4:53 sounds like one of those special scooters really big people use

[@snudget]

Where do I get one of these?

[@stringercorrales6627]

Now that you mention it, I remember seeing old sketches of space stations that look inflatable but couldn’t guess why they looked a certain way until now.

[@sawtoothspike]

How do they handle the internals? surely you would want some subdivision and infrastructure inside

[@jfjoubertquebec]

A large system of carbon fibre and titanium rings hold it together ;)

[@peterhans3791]

Interior walls don't need to be structural. Just some sturdy fabric, which you could sew in wires and such into.

[@tsugaru_solos]

Pop-up books come to mind

[@danieltolkachov2404]

I think the biggest plus of this kind of spacestation, is that even if presumably a micrometeorite damages one of the modules, it will be long before the module will explode since it has numerous protective layers. This allows all the crew in that module to evacuate, deflate the module, and then order a new one replacing it, while not needing to immediately going back to earth.

[@teddycook1299]

Sounds like a Titan submersible situation...

[@petert3355]

Nope, the exact opposite, in fact. This is how composite materials are supposed to work.

[@DFord-rv3nz]

I used to do the same thing as a kid with a fitted sheet and a box fan.

[@kyzercube]

Graphene composites are making huge breakthroughs right now. I wonder if Sierra Space is utilizing this in any of their MMOD layers.

[@ericjohnson7234]

this is a cool design. I have an idea for a cheap solution if it can become cheap in the future. is to have a jacket buckle system for your inflatable balloon space station. Whereby, this jacket buckle system will have a series of metal plates designed specifically to prevent the micro meteor shower from destroying your inflatable, by having the jacket and buckle fasten these metal plates out to a certain distance in all directions except for the dockeing system, so to slow down these incoming risks to your space craft or station,. as well having the foundry and manufactury inbuilt into this station that will replace thses pieces by recycling, so you may have a self sustaining system that works for the community that uses it.

[@clydecox2108]

I’m stoked

[@jimfoard5671]

Of course! Why didn't I think of that!

[@jroar123]

You did say "Today" when talking about a rocket that could get something as large as the first or was it the second stage of the Apollo rocket into orbit and be able to use it as a habitat like Skylab. Starship is getting close to being able to blow Apollo away on power and size. And, it's made out of stainless steel. It is still in the testing phase but that shouldn't take but a few more years. I would like to see an inflatable habitat the size of a football field. Tons of room for equipment, water reclamation systems, power generation, vegetational growth areas, DCS, PLCs, ESD, and a lot more, and still have room to allow humans to feel very comfortable for the ride to Mars or further.

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

If you take many of these units and attach them in a ring, you could rotate the ring, inducing a micro gravity.

[@shrub9677]

youd need an unreasonable amount of them to make a ring even close to big enough to do that without making the astronauts sick

[@bestkind123]

I understand there just as save but I can’t even imagine how scary it would be up there with nothing around but to be in a inflatable bubble in space or if it was on the moon or somthing would be even more terrifying

[@jimzielinski946]

Is the material "self sealing" like the rubber gas tanks on military aircraft?

[@Dev05-fr5np]

I’m guessing future iterations would be but not current one because I don’t know if they can withstand the intense temperatures of space or they might even work differently in the vacuum

[@Adyen11234]

Huh. Can this be used for ocean habitats as well? It could also revolutionize the possible living spaces of humans on Earth itself.

[@seanburton5298]

And this will be what I am very interested in.

[@1darkthought]

What happened to the Bigelow Aerospace inflatable module that was attached to the ISS?

[@EleyReiHer]

Nice technology to withstand the incoming pressure

[@skwervin1]

Those habitats can also be used for moon bases too

[@DanielVerberne]

I would have thought that these examples aren't 'space stations', but modular components that could make up a PART of a station or habitat.

[@george1la]

Pretty interesting. Impact is a big problem.

[@mattg7269]

What about using a fluid layer to plug holes that happened

[@malkeus6487]

Tire rubber does terrible in intense sunlight, drys out and cracks in a matter of months. Combine that with vacuum doing whatever it would do... I'd hate to be in a space tire when it zippers..

[@melody3741]

Do remember a vacuum is less pressure than most tires have to maintain. But yeah sunlight would absolutely fuck it. And one thing the vacuum could do is have outgassing be worse and potentially could damage the rubber?

[@angellestat5937]

0:15 Pyrocinical must be crying right now from the happiness

[@vermilion7777]

They should make a space station with walls made of 5 meters of stone, so the astronauts don't get erradiated...

[@rolandjaycutter3504]

The one thing I'm concerned about is moving the MSS around it, I haven't seen connections on any of the renders so far. Still hopeful.

[@feltonhamilton21]

Good now the next thing to do now is to make giant oxygen space tanks and water tanks using the same material.

[@knottyboy6086]

You would have to be nuts to get in that. Totally nuts.

[@LeftInStone]

This is SO EXCITINGGGGGGG

[@HippyBastard]

If the MMOD material is similar to Kevlar, I wonder what the lifespan of it is. Most Kevlar body armor has an expiration date of 5 years, are these exteriors going to be a consumable? If so, is there going to be a (relatively) simple solution to transfer interior equipment from old to new? would the entire module become trash? Id love to see more on this. Great video, sir.

[@link7417]

Well they claim its the same material on the inflatable section on the iss that have been there for 8 years now,

[@DavidGalich77]

It is coming!

[@ChargersCity]

🙏🙏Blessings forever GOD loves y'all too forever tell everyone you know and don't know. Jesus loves y'all too forever. Teach everyone how to see and enjoy their blessings too forever

[@yatox8]

A bouncy house in LEO, sign me up. Sounds fun!

[@Stuff_And_Things]

I'm sure they did the math, but a balloon inflated at 60psi at sea level experiences different stress than 60psi in a vacuum. I thought they were going to have a self-seal layer on these things. Looking forward to see these things deployed. I didn't know they already had an earlier version of this as part of the ISS. That certainly gives greater confidence. ;)

[@TheForkU]

The great mystery of why Pyrocynical's been edging for 27 years has been revealed.

[@Petertwohig1948]

I must have missed the bit about how it resists a vacuum.

[@NoNameAtAll2]

vacuum is nothingness video covers difference in pressure and meteorites

[@hadleymanmusic]

Dont forget this weave for moon hab.

[@hadleymanmusic]

Make the outer shell double walled filled after inflation with poly urethane foam and whaterver filler.

[@Mionikoi]

This sounds nice and all. I'm just curious about what point we are going to start planning 'spinning habitats' for more permanent space stations.

[@kipkipper-lg9vl]

requires heavy built station, way more money to build and operate, no one will pay for that currently

[@almightyyt2101]

Are they easier to upgrade and expand?

[@triggerbunny]

Interesting...but by the time these concepts become reality (if they ever do..) SpaceX will have probably already produced better ships that no longer need to to do splash downs in the ocean anymore considering the leaps that SpaceX is constantly making. As for the inflatable pods, look forward to seeing actual testing in orbit.

[@davidhuffman4036]

It's only a meteorite when it strikes ground. You meant to say micro meteors and dust (fragments)

[@lordgarion514]

Seems a little odd they would want to keep the air pressure in space where there is no air, almost exactly the same as at sea level on earth. And the oxygen at 21% as well. If you're not doing hard physical labor, most people don't have too much trouble with the air pressure at about 5,000 ft, which is about 10 psi. And you're not doing a whole lot of physical exertion, except when you're exercising, in space, as everything weighs nothing. Make one small habitat for exercise only, and keep the pressure higher there, and save all those gases everywhere else. It's not only expensive to take air into space, and it isn't free to condense it down into a liquid either.

[@grandperspective1167]

This is dope, I feel like will see a giant structure of the inflatable habitats all connected! I do have a question why haven’t we try mining close to earth asteroids and just make structures/ships in space? Wouldn’t that take a lot of load off earth to space manufacturing?

[@twitchy.mp3]

I cant wait for space station super cities

[@Falador321]

Wondering how this is going to fair against small objects in space that puncture metal (its even happened to the ISS)

[@HamguyBacon]

I believe a spray foam in a cavity in-between the layers when it is in orbit would be more practical than trying to pressurize the balloon and relying 100% on that for structural support. 60psi is twice an average car tire which is not much.

[@Merrorh]

I wonder, is it possible to bring anti-meteorite armor separately? I mean, if it doesn't have to be airtight, just slap some sheets above this balloon: it's not like there is a limit, when station is already on orbit.

[@mahonriyojimbo2092]

Cost is likely to be one factor. Keep in mind that "anti-meteorite armor" is not just armor plating. Modern spacecraft use things like the Whipple shield; a multi-layer armor not designed to just stop micro-meteors. Instead the first layer breaks up the meteor and disperses it layer by layer into smaller and smaller bits that each successive layer is more likely to stop. While this is much lighter than simple armor plating, it ironically requires much larger payloads than armor plating to get into space. So while it's cheaper to launch by weight, it may take more rockets to get it into space either way.

[@tomdave42]

My number one question would be how are they going to prevent the astronauts from being irradiated

[@aishikrana3500]

So if the micro mitiorite hits it , it not gonna deastroy the whole thing , but it will gonna destroy the 1st 2 layers? that means once a micro mitiorite hits, oxidation prevention gone and thermal insulation gone. Obviously it prevented instant damage but shortened it's life significantly.

[@LunaProtege]

Hmm... I wonder if one could make a massive structure like this and get it into space just by having it packed up and inflate it on delivery: maybe make something like an O'Neal cylinder style build, but inflatable.

[@greenspiraldragon]

What about use the inflatable to make a epoxy resin space station. It will have a lot more strength. Use the same type system they use to line pipes.

[@SMGJohn]

When you have cost cutting measures in space, thats always a bad sign, its a cool concept, but this is the definition of cost cutting and will have a shelf life below that of metal structures. Space is safer and easier to travel in then the deep ocean thats for sure but the thing is, how often would you need to replace these modules? And what if you have a maniac with a very sharp knife onboard?

[@Markty07]

Would it be possible to recycle parts of the ISS for use on another space station ?

[@OzzyFella]

space ocean gate gon be wild

[@peterhans3791]

So the first layer that protects from impact is behind 2 layers that are going to get destroyed? or is the oxygen corrosion really that big a threat compared to micro meteorites?

[@link7417]

It really is a big issue, image how fast rust can ruin something down here on earth, we are surrounded by relatively stable O2 oxygen, while less O1 oxygen is way more reactive

[@berzerkvideos655]

I don't know if anyone was thinking this but I know I think it's very cool, but the way PRESSURE works is very fascinating. You might think 15 > 60 PSI isn't a big jump, but you have to remember that when it says Pounds Per Square Inch, it REALLY means that. A 12 inch by 12 inch balloon that only inflates a few inches high (like 5?) at maybe... 6 PSI? That is *_4,320 pounds._* BALLOONS are utilized to lift *BOULDERS* off of people in collapsed buildings. The space station looked to be several *FEET* tall and a good few feet wide. At 15 PSI, the internal pressure was maybe... Let's just say 60x60x90 at 15 PSI, that's 4,860,000 pounds over a large area. Because of dispersion and the square cube law, this pressure isn't that bad on a human body or even the walls although it is enough to actively push the walls OUTWARDS. Which keeps it inflated. Now 60x60x90 at _60_ PSI is 19,440,000 POUNDS. That's, again, like 4 times as strong, but when you're at numbers as big this that's like punching a wall Vs. dropping a NUKE on it. I'm not crazy about Physics so I don't know all the equations so I'm sure someone with more knowledge could explain it more indepth but those are some crazy numbers to think about.

[@gytispranskunas4984]

It should be safer than steel because at the pressure of 15psi which as we saw 5 times less than maximum tensal strength, baloon would just simply bend in, absorbing the force of impact and than poping back in to shape. Worst thing that can happen is crew getting bumped by the bend. Also its unrealistic scenario because object in the impact has to be pretty big to ve able to do that

[@mariuszmoraw3571]

I still see this base more as temporary solution where we could build something more permanent and house crew building it there.

[@MilkzyVR]

so in theory we could transport these through longer distances via spacecrafts and end up putting a space station near the moon?

[@Praetoreon]

Anyone feel like this is a really bad idea and they just haven’t realized it yet?

[@ofensywnycioban3454]

Shouldn t the layer protecting from meteorites be on top? I mean first two layers are exposed to them then no?

[@nadca2]

are you talking about the shield shell that'll be added after inflation? that'll definitely have to be sufficient for micrometeorites & wont be some magical inflatable armor material

[@borisbeloudus2691]

I want interlocking modules that can form a giant Ferris wheel for the ISS into space to simulate earth gravity on the ISS.

[@yotu9670]

So far. But when starship flies size doesn’t matter Anymore

[@WhiskeyAfterHours]

Tell me you didnt watch the video without telling me you didnt watch the video

[@virtualworldsbyloff]

I hope the video explains how they handle micro meteors...

[@ThankYouESM]

I've been wondering since around the year 2000, why not build self-repairing inflatable space stations whereas spacesuits and origami are the working concepts.

[@BORCHLEO]

Honestly, i think no matter one if you launch one of these into space something is gonna pop. anyways you aint seein me ride in that thing

[@Nopejams]

I wonder why not fill a liner within the balloon with a gel

[@davidpalmer7175]

Well... whether it's metal or plastic...we can only build anything with what we develop for materials. If it works in the vacuum of space, which is the most extreme of any vacuum... then it can work anywhere in space. Extreme pressures is a completely different animal because there's no limit to pressure. A complete vacuum is final in its' form.

[@Iowa599]

I need to see how their space balloon will be patched or repaired after hit by a space rock, so a 2nd strike does not cause failure.

[@mrchapin94]

I'm absolutely surprised that we haven't thought about. Using any kind of 3D printing in space craft development besides on Earth. If we could move that to space in a higher orbit, we can make colossal space structures like in science fiction.

[@KPL400]

if you have the slightest bit of understanding of 3D printing please explain how it would work in zero G... and in a vacuum...

[@nmjgd4083]

We have. It is the plan for Moon and Mars Base. But if u speak about space station 3D printing. We can't do it, yet. 1) It is cheaper to make it on earth and deliver to space. 2) for now there is no tech to make that kind of 3D printer possible. Don't forget it should print using different type of materials, not only one type, which is standard for 3D printer now. There are some who in idea can work. But they have problems on earth. And think about the Space. 3) Delivering the materials to that will be challenging to say the least. Of course, 90% of above problems will disappear if we start mining asteroids. If we can mine them, believe me it won't even take 2 years to make production ready this kind of 3D printer. Why? because the cost will justify the product.

[@N04hrk]

the reason we dont send 3D printers into space is that its still the same wight, but just a lot harder to manufacture in space. if you make a 3D printed box on earth that wights 10 kg and send it to space, and then send a 3D printer into space and then send 10kg worth of construction material into space. then you can probobly see why its eazyer to just make things on earth and sent it up after. yes, manufactoring in space takes up less rocket cargo space but it is a lot harder to ensure quality in the produce. like it would be inpossible to make a moon rover in space, you have to do it on earth.

[@link7417]

Another issue whit that, while we think of materials here on earth being pure iron or aluminium unless stated as an alloy, but that is not the case, all metals (and some others too) have a layer of oxide on them which prevents cold welding (gold which is very stable cold welds really easy even here) but in space even low earth orbit there is not enough oxygen to "heal" any scratches to the oxide layer, is there any alloys or other materials that could be used, maybe but that is beyond my knowledge

[@mrchapin94]

Thank you for all the good informative

[@MrFreesearcher]

This is certainly a step forwards for space exploration, and exciting, but also don't forget that the outside pressure is zero PSI, so the structure would need to survive this mismatch in pressures. Surviving to 75 PSI is great, on Earth, where the outside pressure is 16PSI (75 - 16 = 59 PSI in Space), so does it actually pass NASA's requirements, or was the requirements based on Earth pressure? For concernes of debris ripping or damaging the "Balloon", a multi layered metal jacket could be expanded over the outside. I know this is adding more weight, and I am also curious how man made resins and fabrics operate and last in space - fiberglass hulls for example. Of course fiberglass has its own dangers when astronauts are working with the material.

[@olliecook1982]

The question i have is, what does the inside look like? If they are just empty tubes (or a lot of empty space at least), that could pose a danger to astronauts.

[@link7417]

I assume initially they are empty and would be getting interior after they are deployed since what they are trying to solve is the module size limit, so trying to get all the interior in the same launch would defeated that

[@kkalauli23]

Hell no id hate to be first ones to test anything in space or the ocean floors lol

[@moistshit1kal]

What about Whipple shielding

[@Archangel657]

"Space is going to be inflatable!" *random

[@neilmackenzie4394]

Here's a thought, let's use the "Space Modules" and a tiny portion of the money to explore the Oceans of our home planet.