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From beach balls, pool toys, and jump houses, inflatable technology takes a big step forward forits next frontier: space station. A new kind of tech will be aboard Space X ’s eighth supply mto the International Space Station (ISS). A compressed living module will be delivered andattached to the station where, in the void of space, it will expand into a new habitat for astronauts. 

Designed by Bigelow Aerospace, the inflatable space habitat is one area NASA is exploringfor potential deep space habitats and other advanced space missions.“The ‘Bigelow Expandable Activity Module,’ or the BEAM, is an expandable habitat thatwill be used to investigate technology and understand the potential benefits of such habitatsforhuman missions to deep space, ” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wrote in a blog post. 

The habitats could be a way to “dramatically increase ” the space available for astronautswhile also offering added protection from the dangers of space, like radiation and spacedebris, the NASA press release says. 

But how is an inflatable space station supposed to be a viable means of housing for spacetravelers? BEAMs are far more than balloon-like rooms where astronauts can take asylum.Technically, the modules don’t inflate― they expand, according to the company. Andbeyond just air, the habitats are reinforced with an internal metal structure. The outside iscomposed of multiple layers of material including things like rubber and kevlar to protectfrom any speeding debris. 

Inside SpaceX ’s Dragon spacecraft on the way to the ISS, the BEAM will be approximately 8feet in diameter. It will expand once deployed in space to offer 565 cubic feet of space forastronauts. “It’ll be the first time human beings will actually step inside this expandablehabitat in space,” former astronaut George Zamka, who has worked for Bigelow Aerospace,told USA Today. [“There won’t be this sense of it being like a balloon. ”] 

But astronauts won’t be getting inside the module for some time yet.The BEAM will beattached to the Tranquility Node and deployed. Inside the module are a series of tools thatwill help the crew of the ISS monitor different aspects of the expandable area to see how itacts in space. The crew will watch heat, radiation, orbital debris, and provide informationabout the viability of using similar modules in the future. 

The testing is scheduled to go on for a two-year time period, after which the module will bereleased and burn up in the atmosphere. NASA’s partnership with Bigelow fits Mr. Bolden ’sdesire to help grow a robust private sector industry to commercialize aspects of space ― aprocess he sees as vital if humans want to reach farther cosmic destinations. “The world oflow Earth orbit belongs to industry, ” Bolden said at a press conference in January .

What is special about the new living module on SpaceX ’s eighth mission to ISS?

  • A.It is expandable.
  • B.It is going to deep space.
  • C.It looks like a toy.
  • D.It will not return to Earth.
试题出自试卷《2017年武大考博英语真题及答案》
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