In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – Nov.25.2024

A selection of recent videos, articles, and news items about space habitats (govt and commercial), living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** NASA Astronaut Suni Williams Talks with New England Sports Network – Tuesday, November 12, 2024 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Nov. 12 with the New England Sports Network for the New England Sports Network Clubhouse Kids Show. Williams is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

=== Commercial space habitats

** Axiom Space

** Blue Origin

A brief view of the reaction of passengers in the capsule of the New Shepard during a flight on Nov. 22nd to suborbital space:

— New Shepard Mission NS-28: Apogee – Blue Origin Youtube

** Sierra Space

— The latest burst test of a Sierra inflatable habitat prototype model brings them a step closer to certification and the construction of operational habitats.

We have successfully completed our sixth stress test and fourth Ultimate Burst Pressure (UBP) test for our LIFE® 10 commercial space station technology, achieving a rupture at 255 psi, the highest pressure yet.

This test exceeded NASA’s Factor of Safety recommendations, demonstrating a safety factor greater than 16x in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 23x in lunar environments.

Our team continues to lead in the development of expandable structures for various space applications, as we build the world’s first commercial space station.

— This article includes an update on development of Sierra Space’s inflatable modules: Sierra Space expands spaceplane fleet with in-house mission control | SpaceNews – Nov.8.2024

In the same work area as the Shooting Star modules, Sierra Space engineers are also working on the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) habitat. A key aspect of that project is evaluating and testing the use of softgoods to fashion expandable structures using Vectran, a weave of high-performance liquid crystal polymer fiber that’s stronger than steel when inflated.

** VAST

— VAST partners with Czech Republic :Czech Ministry of Transport Signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vast to Partner on Engagement with Czech Space Industry | VAST – Nov.7.2024

The Czech Ministry of Transport has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vast, the U.S.-based pioneer in space habitation technologies. The Memorandum, signed as part of Czech Space Week, outlines a commitment by Vast and the Ministry of Transport to explore ways to partner on future human spaceflight projects, whether through private astronaut missions (PAM) to the International Space Station (ISS) before it is retired in 2030, or on missions to Vast’s own Haven space stations, and to engage with a growing Czech Space industry and start-up ecosystem.

More at:

** Starlab – Voyager Space

=== Chinese space habitats

** Shenzhou-19 Crew Receive Delivery from Earth – CCTV Video News Agency

China’s Shenzhou-19 crew aboard the orbiting Tiangong space station received a shipment of supplies from Earth on Saturday, after the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft successfully docked with the space station.

** Shenzhou-19 Crew Conduct Tasks in Orderly Manner After Receiving Supplies from Earth – CCTV Video News Agency

China’s Shenzhou-19 crew aboard the orbiting Tiangong space station has been carrying out space experiments, performing equipment maintenance, and conducting other tasks in an orderly manner over the past week after receiving supplies from the Earth in mid-November.

=== Mars habitation

** Dr. Peter Hague on The Space Show – Nov.15.2024

We welcomed Peter to discuss one of his recent blog posts, Planetocracy.org, regarding the steps needed to be completed before humans to Mars happens. Peter’s article is on the blog for this program. Not only did we go over the steps Peter outlined in his excellent article, he got calls and listener questions asking about other issues for humans to Mars. Most often he heard comments about Musk, SpaceX and how the human factors or medical issues might be resolved for those going to Mars. This mostly focused on microgravity and radiation. Don’t miss these discussions.

=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:

=== Earth views from ISS

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

=== Amazon Ads ===

Lego Ideas International Space Station
21321 Toy Blocks, Present, Space, Boys, Girls, Ages 16 and Up

====

Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station