Posted on 02/06/2017 2:58:11 PM PST by BenLurkin
The International Space Station (ISS) is set to gain another addition in 2019, with the announcement of a milestone being achieved with the goal of launching a commercial airlock for installation on the Tranquility module. The airlock – in association with NanoRacks and Boeing – will be used for deploying external payloads and cubesats.
The goal of fostering commercial use of the orbital outpost is a major goal for NASA, now the Station is in the utilization phase after years of assembly.
Some signs of that aim being achieved are being seen, such as the recent addition of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM). However, the stewards of the ISS are hoping to increase commercial interest via Request For Information (RFI) solicitations.
It was one of those RFIs that laid the foundations for the new airlock, with NanoRacks signing a Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA last year.
Progress was announced on Monday when NanoRacks announced an independent partnership with Boeing to develop the airlock.
“Once NanoRacks successfully completes the phases outlined in a Space Act Agreement NanoRacks signed with NASA in 2016, the agency has committed to install the airlock for commercial use, research, and technology demonstrations from the International Space Station,” NASA added on Monday.
NanoRacks are already an active partner with the Station, mainly via the deployment of cubesats from dispensers lofted to the Station on resupply ships. Currently, cubesats and small satellites are deployed through the government-operated Japanese Kibo Airlock.
However, demand for small satellite deployment has increased over recent years. Monday also saw the announcement that RSC Energia of Russia will be deploying cubsats during Progress resupply missions.
NanoRacks are taking this a stage further, with what will be the first commercially funded airlock on the Station.
“This is a huge step for NASA and the U.S. space program, to leverage the commercial marketplace for low-Earth orbit, on Space Station and beyond, and NanoRacks is proud to be taking the lead in this prestigious venture,” noted NanoRacks CEO Jeffrey Manber.
The airlock will likely ride in the trunk of a future Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Dragon spacecraft, as was the case with the BEAM, ahead of being removed via the Station’s robotic assets and installed on the Tranquility module. Its location will provide for good visual observations for the crew conducting the deployments, via the windows on the Cupola module.
The current schedule shows a window in 2019 for the launch and installation of the new airlock. Once installed, the ISS crew will be able to assemble payloads typically flown in soft-stowage ISS Cargo Transfer Bags into larger items that currently cannot be handled by the existing Kibo Airlock.
“We want to utilize the space station to expose the commercial sector to new and novel uses of space, ultimately creating a new economy in low-Earth orbit for scientific research, technology development and human and cargo transportation,” added Sam Scimemi, director, ISS Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“We hope this new airlock will allow a diverse community to experiment and develop opportunities in space for the commercial sector.”
The NanoRacks Airlock Module will be both a permanent commercial uncrewed module onboard International Space Station, and also a module capable of being removed from the space station and used on a future commercial platform.
Boeing will fabricate and install the Airlock’s Passive Common Berthing Mechanism (PCBM), which is used to connect most pressurized modules of the ISS – and is the most critical piece of hardware for the airlock.
The PCBM hardware is being manufactured at the Boeing facilities in Huntsville, Alabama. Boeing will also provide additional engineering services required for developing and manufacturing of the airlock.
“This partnership is an important step in the commercial transition we’ll see on the ISS in coming years,” noted Mark Mulqueen Boeing ISS program manager. “Utilizing a commercial airlock to keep up with the demand of deployment will significantly streamline our process.”
ATA Engineering, of San Diego, California will lead the structural and thermal analysis, testing services and support of the airlock.
“The NanoRacks Airlock Module is the next logical step in the successful line of NanoRacks’ commercial payload facilities,” noted Brock Howe, NanoRacks’ Head of Airlock. “This Airlock Module will provide a broad range of capabilities to our payload customers and expand greatly on the commercial utilization of the Station – and I look forward to leading the team at NanoRacks on this next venture.”
I’m curious if they intend to limit cargoes from Muslim countries?
The ISS is in a completely useless orbit, allowing it to be nothing other than a micro gravity laboratory. It’s going to be scrapped in a few more years anyway. We’re likely to see a lot of advances in space exploration now that the Jihadist is gone, and Pres. Trump is on the side of it.
As far as I’m concerned NASA should be turned back over to the Air Force and its focus limited to space warfare - until the national debt is at zero.
There’s something to be said about abstract knowledge just for the sake of abstract knowledge. We wouldn’t have electricity today if not for that. Some might call that a good thing.
Gimme one of those XB-37's and I'll do it.
And we wouldn't be using that electricity to run the LHC in Cern.
We’re in a race against time to figure out how to harness the resources of the rest of our solar system before we run out on earth.
Do you know the LHC does nothing, but on a much smaller scale, that hasn’t been going on in the upper atmosphere for billions of years? Abstract knowledge is always a good thing except for the .000001% chance when it will get us blown to little tiny bits and those tiny bits set on fire.
I'm pretty sure the Air Force has it's own 'space agency'. It's not NASA at the controls of the X-37B's.
Oops, I meant X-37B.
Of course, I could build a new version with ‘claws’ on it and call it the XB-37.
Well, there were no cameras in the upper atmosphere to record those collisions, so... the LHC has that going for it.
Abstract knowledge is always a good thing except for the .000001% chance when it will get us blown to little tiny bits and those tiny bits set on fire.
Every 'experiment' has that same chance. Every one. Different experiments have higher rates, but all have the miniscule percentage.
There is a .000001% chance that while responding to my comment, we will all get blown to pieces and those tiny bits set on fire.
What? No Hala islam airlock? islam will need two, one for females and one for their preferred gender...psychopathic males and goats.
Take a bowel to the “superior” islam culture that brought us algebra, space travel and goat roping.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.