Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM)
Q. What is BEAM in relation to the ISS?- Published on 12 Apr 16a. A Room
b. A Solar generation unit
c. Experiment of growing plants in space
d. None of the above
ANSWER: A Room
- For the first time, the International Space Station (ISS) will be equipped with an expandable habitable structure that has the potential to revolutionise work on the orbital laboratory.
- SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, launched on a Falcon 9 rocket, is delivering the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), to the ISS.
- BEAM will arrive in Dragon’s unpressurised trunk and, after about five days, will be removed and attached to the station. Expansion is targeted for the end of May. The module will expand to roughly 10 feet in diameter.
- It will provide 565 cubic ft of volume where a crew member will enter the module three to four times a year to retrieve sensor data and assess conditions.
- Expandable habitats are designed to take up less room on a rocket, but provide greater volume once expanded.
- This first in situ test of the module will allow researchers to gauge how well the habitat protects against solar radiation, space debris and contamination.
