Tag: BEAM
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Bigelow’s expandable module goes into overtime on space station
European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, after outfitting its interior for cargo stowage. Credit: NASA A commercial module mounted outside the International Space Station last year will remain attached to the orbiting research complex for at least three more years, carrying out additional tests for future space…
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Astronauts get their first look inside BEAM, the first expandable space habitat
NASA astronaut Jeff Williams works inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, the newest addition to the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA TV) Nine days after the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module was blown up to its full volume, astronauts entered the bedroom-sized BEAM compartment for the first time today and started hooking up the…
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Video: BEAM welcomes first astronaut
International Space Station astronaut Jeff Williams opened the hatch and floated into the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, experimental habitat today for the first time. BEAM was launched April 8 and successfully expanded on May 28 for a two-year test of its durability in space. The crew will enter the module periodically to retrieve…
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Williams enters BEAM for expandable module milestone
NASA astronaut Jeff Williams has ingressed the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) on Monday, the first time an American has entered an inflatable module in space. The milestone came after teams on the ground helped with a scavenger hunt on the Station to replace a missing part that was required for Monday’s historic event. BEAM:…
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After snags, BEAM space module expands to its full volume – like a bag of popcorn
A camera on the International Space Station shows the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, after inflation. (Credit: NASA TV) It took almost eight hours, but NASA accomplished the first expansion of a pop-up module at the International Space Station today, by inflating the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM. BEAM was built for NASA…
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Fabric too stiff? NASA gets set for second try to expand BEAM space module
The Bigelow Expandable Space Module, or BEAM, is designed to expand to twice its folded-up length, but during an initial attempt, it stretched out just a few inches. (Credit: NASA TV) Update: NASA will make its second attempt to inflate the Bigelow Expandable Space Module starting at around 6 a.m. PT Saturday. More details below. …
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NASA calls off inflation of experimental station habitat
Mission control used this grid to chart the progress of BEAM’s expansion. Credit: NASA TV Mission control halted the expansion of Bigelow Aerospace’s experimental space station module Thursday after the structure did not grow as predicted when air began flowing into it. Working in the International Space Station’s Tranquility module, astronaut Jeff Williams opened a…
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Bigelow’s station habitat to be expanded Thursday
Artist’s concept of an astronaut entering BEAM. Credit: NASA Space station flight engineer Jeff Williams will send commands Thursday to pump air into an experimental soft-sided module developed by commercial space habitat builder Bigelow Aerospace, expanding the structure to four times its current size in a stepping stone to future orbital destinations. The Bigelow Expandable…
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Expandable room installed on space station
Updated after BEAM installation. Credit: NASA/Tim Kopra The International Space Station’s robotic arm, under the control of engineers on Earth, extracted an experimental inflatable habitat from the trunk of SpaceX’s Dragon supply ship Saturday and attached it to the orbiting complex. Made by Bigelow Aerospace, the new module will spend two years on the space station…
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BEAM installed on ISS following CRS-8 Dragon handover
The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) was finally installed on the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday. The Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) was involved with the removal of the payload from trunk section of the recently arrived CRS-8 Dragon, prior to translating the new module to the Station’s Node 3 port. BEAM: The…