Advancement in Space Deployable Habitat Verification, Validation, and Certification

EasyChair Preprint no. 14183

Abstract

Continued successful development testing of an 8.2-meter (27-feet) diameter Space Deployable Habitat Module for LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) application, jointly designed, and fabricated by ILC Dover Astrospace and Sierra Space, has validated and advanced many critical structural components of the habitat’s “softgoods” shell. The objective of this paper is to present further results from successful Ultimate Burst Pressure (UBP) tests with integrated blanking plates and Accelerated Systematic Creep (ASC) tests performed in late 2022 and 2023. The additional UBP tests further verify that the structural integrity of the system is at or above the 4.0 factor of safety required by NASA for certification. The ASC tests verify that the creep life of the structural components is much higher than the required 60 years (4X 15-years life). This paper will also discuss updated structural and system architectures that would enable greater capabilities in expanding usable volume and mission operations.

Keyphrases: Accelerated Systematic Creep, Deployable Habitat Architecture, Space Habitat Certification, Ultimate Burst Pressure

@Booklet{EasyChair:14183,
  author = {Matthew Morgan and Elizabeth Licavoli and James Kirwan and Gerard Valle and Shawn Buckley and John Lin},
  title = {Advancement in Space Deployable Habitat Verification, Validation, and Certification},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint no. 14183},

  year = {EasyChair, 2024}}