An inflatable pod has been attached the International Space Station, and it seems that space hotels could one day be a reality. It will be in place for two years, and its safety will be monitored. It needs to cope with radiation, debris from space and various temperatures. They can also be used as labs for crews traveling to the Moon or Mars. If successful they could become the location of the first people to live away from Earth and be forerunners of the Mars or Moon colonies.
Robert Bigelow founder of Bigelow Aerospace has launched pods before, but humans have never lived in them. He was fascinated by space as a child and aimed to make enough money to allow him to hire the scientists he needed so that he could launch a space program. His Budget Suites of America chain of hotels has provided the millions needed to fund the research, and a NASA administrator believes the pods will take over from the ISS.
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A few weeks after being put in place, astronauts will start to visit from the ISS, and this will be about eight times a year. They will check radiation, pressure, and temperature as well as the structure.
It is designed to deflate slowly rather than burst if there is a puncture and as there will not be windows, torches must be taken every time a visit is made.
When the two-year experiment is finished, it will be detached from the ISS and will be destroyed when it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.
