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{{Infobox space station module
| module = Bigelow Expandable Activity Module
|
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| module_image_caption = Full-scale mock-up of BEAM at Johnson Space Center
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|launch = April 8, 2016, 20:43 UTC<ref name="nasasf20160409"/>▼
|
▲| launch =
|unberthed = Planned: 2028▼
| launch_vehicle = [[Falcon 9 Full Thrust]]<br/>([[SpaceX CRS-8]])
|reentry = ▼
|mass = {{convert|3115.1|lb|kg|abbr=on|order=flip}}<ref name="nasa-overview"/>▼
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|diameter = {{convert|3.23|m|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="verge20160405" />▼
▲| reentry =
| diameter = {{cvt|3.23|m}}
| volume = {{cvt|16.0|m3}}
}}
The '''Bigelow Expandable Activity Module''' ('''BEAM''') is an experimental [[inflatable space habitat|expandable]] [[International Space Station#Pressurised modules|space station module]] developed by [[Bigelow Aerospace]], under contract to NASA, for testing as a temporary module on the [[International Space Station]] (ISS) from 2016 to at least 2020. It arrived at the ISS on 10 April
== History ==
NASA originally considered the idea of inflatable habitats in the 1960s, and developed the [[TransHab]] inflatable module concept in the late 1990s. The TransHab project was canceled by Congress in 2000,<ref name="nasa2000"/><ref name="nasa2000conf"/><ref name="spaceref2261"/> and Bigelow Aerospace purchased the rights to the patents developed by NASA to pursue private space station designs.<ref name="Seedhouse2014-8"/> In 2006 and 2007, Bigelow launched two demonstration modules to Earth orbit, [[Genesis I]] and [[Genesis II]].<ref name="space20060712"/><ref name="nature20070705"/>
NASA re-initiated analysis of expandable module technology for a variety of potential missions beginning in early 2010.<ref name="ns20100303"/><ref name="Sang2010"/> Various options were considered, including procurement from commercial provider Bigelow Aerospace, for providing what in 2010 was proposed to be a [[toroid|torus-shaped]] storage module for the [[International Space Station]]. One application of the toroidal BEAM design was as a [[centrifuge]] demo preceding further developments of the NASA [[Nautilus-X]] multi-mission exploration concept vehicle.<ref name="hobbyspace-nautilusX"/> In January 2011, Bigelow projected that the BEAM module could be built and made flight-ready 24 months after a build contract was secured.<ref name="sdc20110126"/>
[[File:Bigelow Expandable Activity Module at Bigelow’s facility in Las Vegas.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|Completed BEAM flight unit at the Bigelow Aerospace facility in [[North Las Vegas, Nevada]]]]
On
In 2013. it was planned that at the end of BEAM's mission, it would be removed from the ISS and burn up during reentry.<ref name="ns20130116"/>▼
▲On December 20, 2012, NASA awarded Bigelow Aerospace a {{USD|17.8 million|link=yes}} contract to construct the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module under NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Program.<ref name="spaceref20130111"/><ref name="NASAannouncement"/> [[Sierra Nevada Corporation]] built the $2 million [[Common Berthing Mechanism]] under a 16-month firm-fixed-price contract awarded in May 2013.<ref name="sn20130612"/> NASA plans made public in mid-2013 called for a 2015 delivery of the module to the ISS.<ref name=sn20130612/>
During a press event on 12 March
▲In 2013 it was planned that at the end of BEAM's mission, it would be removed from the ISS and burn up during reentry.<ref name="ns20130116"/>
== Deployment and status ==▼
▲During a press event on March 12, 2015, at the Bigelow Aerospace facility in North Las Vegas, the completed ISS flight unit, compacted and with two [[Canadarm2]] grapple fixtures attached, was displayed for the media.<ref name="BEAMPress20150312"/>
[[File:BEAM module expansion series.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|Progression of expansion of BEAM]]▼
In early 2015, BEAM was scheduled for deployment on the next available ISS transport vehicle, [[SpaceX CRS-8]], which was scheduled for launch in September 2015.
▲==Deployment and status==
▲[[File:BEAM module expansion series.jpg|thumb|Progression of expansion of BEAM]]
▲In early 2015, BEAM was scheduled for deployment on the next available ISS transport vehicle, [[SpaceX CRS-8]], which was scheduled for launch in September 2015. Due to a rocket failure during the SpaceX CRS-7 launch in June 2015, the delivery of BEAM was delayed.<ref name="nasasf20150907"/><ref name="launchlog"/> The successful launch of SpaceX CRS-8 took place on April 8, 2016,<ref name="nasasf20160408"/> and the Dragon cargo vehicle was berthed to the nadir port of ''[[Harmony (ISS module)|Harmony]]'' node on April 10.<ref name="unitoday20160411"/> On April 16, British astronaut [[Tim Peake]] extracted BEAM from Dragon's trunk using Canadarm2, and installed it on the aft port of ''[[Tranquility (ISS module)|Tranquility]]'' node.<ref name="sfnow20160416"/>
The first attempt at module inflation took place on 26 May
{{multiple image |direction=vertical |align=right
|image1=ISS-47 Jeff Williams works inside the BEAM.jpg
|image2=ISS-53 Paolo Nespoli works inside the BEAM.jpg
}}
On 6 June
NASA noted in May 2017 that, after spending one year in space, the BEAM instrumentation had recorded "a few probable micrometeoroid debris impacts" but that the module's protective layers had resisted penetration. Early results from monitors inside the module have shown that [[galactic cosmic radiation]] levels are comparable to those in the rest of the space station. Further testing will try to characterize whether the inflatable structure is any more resilient to radiation than traditional metal modules.<ref name="nasa20170526"/><ref name="arstech20170528"/>
In October 2017, it was announced that the module would stay attached to the ISS until 2020, with options for two further one-year extensions. The module will be used to store up to 130 cargo transfer bags to make available space aboard the station.<ref name="arstech20171003"/> The ISS crew began work in November 2017 to prepare BEAM for use as storage space.<ref name="nasa20171121">{{cite web |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2017/11/21/beam-work-and-vision-checks-for-crew-today/
In July 2019, an engineering assessment certified BEAM's ability to remain attached to the station until 2028, as it has exceeded performance expectations and become a core cargo storage module on the volume-constrained station. A contract extension will be required to allow BEAM to serve its extended operational lifetime.<ref name="sn20190812"/>
== Objectives ==
The BEAM is an experimental program in an effort to test and validate expandable habitat technology.<ref name="characteristics"/> If BEAM performs favorably, it could lead to development of expandable habitation structures for future crews traveling in deep space.<ref name="nasa-beammain"/> The two-year demonstration period will:
* Demonstrate launch and deployment of a commercial inflatable module. Implement folding and packaging techniques for inflatable shell. Implement a venting system for inflatable shell during ascent to ISS.
* Determine [[Radiation protection#Spacecraft and radiation protection|radiation protection]] capability of inflatable structures.
* Demonstrate design performance of commercial inflatable structure like thermal, structural, mechanical durability, long term leak performance, etc.
* Demonstrate safe deployment and operation of an inflatable structure in a flight mission.
== Characteristics ==
[[File:ISS-47 BEAM installation (1).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|BEAM in the process of being moved to the rear port of ''Tranquility'' in April 2016.]]
BEAM is composed of two metal bulkheads, an [[Aluminium|aluminum]] structure, and multiple layers of soft fabric with spacing between layers, protecting an internal restraint and bladder system;<ref name="FAQ NASA"
BEAM's internal dimensions provide {{
=== Radiation shielding ===
The flexible Kevlar-like materials of construction are proprietary.<ref name="US 7204460 B2"/><ref name="Lyle2015"/> The multiple layers of flexible fabric and closed-cell [[Vinyl polymer|vinyl polymer foam]]<ref name="Seedhouse2014-26"/> in the BEAM structural shell are expected to provide impact protection (see [[Whipple shield]]) as well as [[Radiation protection#Spacecraft and radiation protection|radiation protection]], but model calculations need to be validated by actual measurements.<ref name="FAQ NASA"/>
In a 2002 NASA study, it was suggested that materials that have high hydrogen contents, such as [[polyethylene]], can reduce primary and secondary radiation to a greater extent than metals, such as [[Aluminium |aluminum]].<ref name="nasa-radiation"/> Vinyl polymer may also be used in laboratories and other applications for radiation shield garments.<ref name="newsci20021115"/>
== BCSS airlock ==
In 2013, Bigelow mentioned a concept to build a second BEAM module for use as an [[airlock]] on its planned [[Bigelow Commercial Space Station]]. The module's inflatable nature would provide room for up to three crew or tourists to spacewalk simultaneously, compared with a maximum of two that can operate outside the ISS.<ref name="tpm20130117"
== Gallery ==
<gallery class="center" perrow="5">
Image:BEAM mock-up interior.jpg | Interior of BEAM mock-up
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</gallery>
== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[B330]], an inflatable space habitat
* [[BA 2100|B2100]], concept
== References ==
{{Reflist
<ref name="nasasf20160409">{{cite news |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/04/iss-crs-8-dragon-arrival-flawless-launch/ |title=ISS welcomes CRS-8 Dragon after flawless launch |work=NASA Spaceflight |first=Chris |last=Gebhardt |date=April 9, 2016 |access-date=April 26, 2016}}</ref>▼
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<ref name="NASAannouncement">{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/beam_feature.html|title=NASA to Test Bigelow Expandable Module on Space Station|publisher=NASA|date=January 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120153333/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/beam_feature.html|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=January 18, 2013}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
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<ref name="bigelow-beam">{{cite web|url=http://bigelowaerospace.com/beam/|title=BEAM: The Experimental Platform|publisher=Bigelow Aerospace|access-date=April 26, 2016}}</ref>
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<ref name="lvrj20130116">{{cite news |url=http://www.lvrj.com/business/north-las-vegas-based-bigelow-areospace-lands-17-8-million-nasa-contract-187174211.html |title=North Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace lands $17.8 million NASA contract |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |first=Jennifer |last=Robison |date=January 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216101826/http://www.lvrj.com/business/north-las-vegas-based-bigelow-areospace-lands-17-8-million-nasa-contract-187174211.html |archive-date=February 16, 2013 |url-status=live |access-date=January 19, 2013 }}</ref>▼
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<ref name="US 7204460 B2">{{cite patent |url=http://www.google.com/patents/US7204460 |title=Orbital debris shield |inventor=Bigelow, Robert T. |country=US |number=US 7204460 B2 |status=patent |pubdate=2007-04-17 |gdate=2007-04-17 |fdate=2004-06-24 |pridate=2004-06-24}}.</ref>▼
▲<ref name="US 7204460 B2">{{cite patent
<ref name="Lyle2015">{{cite document |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20160001632.pdf |title=Modeling of Local BEAM Structure for Evaluation of MMOD Impacts to Support Development of a Health Monitoring System |publisher=NASA Langley Research Center |first1=Karen H. |last1=Lyle |first2=Gregory J. |last2=Vassilakos |date=November 2015 |id=NASA/TM-2015-218985}}</ref>▼
▲<ref name="Lyle2015">{{cite document
<ref name="Seedhouse2014-26">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9qigBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA26 |title=Bigelow Aerospace: Colonizing Space One Module at a Time |publisher=Springer-Praxis |first=Erik |last=Seedhouse |page=26 |date=2014 |isbn=978-3-319-05197-0 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-05197-0 |quote=A middle layer was a closed-cell vinyl foam for radiation protection and thermal insulation.}}</ref>▼
▲<ref name="Seedhouse2014-26">{{cite book
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<ref name="tpm20130117">{{cite news|url=http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01/inflatable-spacecrafts-other-goal-space-walks-for-tourists.php }}
== External links ==
{{commons category|Bigelow Expandable Activity Module}}
* [http://bigelowaerospace.com/pages/beam/ BEAM] at BigelowAerospace.com
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{{Space stations}}
{{Orbital launches in 2016}}
▲{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}}
▲{{Use American English|date=March 2019}}
[[Category:Bigelow Aerospace]]
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