In article ,
says...

"Jeff Findley" wrote in message
...

In article , says...
BEAM to ISS is scheduled for this coming March. March 20th in fact.
Riding up-hill on an F9-FT out of SLC-40 Canaveral.

An inflatable module on ISS should go a long way to proving the tech is
ready for use in a deep space HAB module.

Hopefully.

I think one of the big benefits of inflatable modules is they can be big. I
think more room has a lot of advantages, including psychological ones.
You also have the benefit that the larger the volume, the slower it is to
leak if it gets punctured (of course you also have a larger surface area for
potential punctures. ;-)

MMOD protection of an inflatable can actually be greater than that
surrounding a typical aluminum pressure vessel. This is because the
aluminum vessel's MMOD shielding is limited by the internal diameter of
the payload fairing it is launched inside. An inflatable does not have
this same constraint, so it can have more MMOD layers spaced further
apart. More layers spaced further apart is exactly what you want to
stop hypervelocity particles.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer