Scroll down to read this post.

 

Readers!

 

The time has come for my annual short Thanksgiving/Christmas fund drive for Behind The Black. I must do this every year in order to make sure I have earned enough money to pay my bills.

 

For this two-week campaign, I am offering a special deal to encourage donations. Donations of $200 will get a free autographed copy of the new paperback edition of Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8, while donations of $250 will get a free autographed copy of the new hardback edition. If you desire a copy, make sure you provide me your address with your donation.

 

As I noted in July, the support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.

 

In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.

 

Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.

 

Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:

 

1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.

 

2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
 

3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:

 

4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
 
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652

 

You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.


Sierra Space confirms burst test of its fullscale inflatable module was successful

Sierra Space yesterday confirmed that the pressure test-to-failure of a fullscale inflatable space station module was successful in proving its safety and design.

The pressure shell for Sierra Space’s LIFE™ (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat is made of expandable “softgoods,” or woven fabrics that perform like a rigid structure once inflated. During an Ultimate Burst Pressure (UBP) test, the teams inflate the test article until it fails, which helps determine how strong its softgoods materials would be under extreme stresses in the harsh environment of space. The full-scale unit in this test reached 77 psi before it burst, which well exceeds (+27%) NASA’s recommended level of 60.8 psi (maximum operating pressure of 15.2 psi multiplied by a safety factor of four).

A short video showing the moment the module bursts can be seen here.

The module is for the Orbital Reef commercial space station that Sierra Space is building in partnership with Blue Origin, which is supposed to be the lead company in the project. However, it is Sierra Space that appears to be building and testing hardware. What Blue Origin is doing remains unclear, as has been the case now for five-plus years.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

9 comments

  • pzatchok

    Did NASA demand all the same burst tests on all of its previous modules?

  • pzatchok

    Can’t find any quick references to burst testing any previous modules but a few references to NASA making all new requirements for textile habitats.

    They also increased the radiation protection requirements.

  • David M. Cook

    77 PSI sounds like a lot, but what happens when a valve fails from the pressure supply tank & 700 PSI is dumped into the module? Isn‘t that what ruined the SLIM lunar lander mission?

  • sippin_bourbon

    So these tests are showing it can take roughly 5 times times 1 atmo (give or take a few pounds),

    Are they required to show durability for impacts, show puncture resistance and the ability to patch a leak?

  • sippin_bourbon

    I would think pressure alarms and emergency relief valve( that release pressure into all three axis equally) would prevent a burst in space.

  • pzatchok

    So instead of demanding the very same thing they found safe for the last 40 years they upped the requirements for “safety”.

    For permanent habitat I can see upping the safety margins but nothing they are building is supposed to be permanent. Just long term.

    Its just like NASA to demand more from private companies than they accept for themselves.

  • pzatchok: Though I would be the first person to agree with you about NASA’s tendency to over-regulate private companies for no reason, in this case I wonder if these new requirements are the result of data obtained by NASA from the Bigelow BEAM inflatable module that has been attached to ISS now for several years. It could be the data from it has suggested more ground testing and higher limits for inflatable modules were required.

  • Patrick Underwood

    It’s a fairly new technology so it’s prudent to sandbag the numbers, just in case. As with the early days of carbon fiber, there may be failure modes that come as a surprise.

  • pzatchok

    I do believe the BEAM module is 6 inches thick. A dozen layers or more, several self sealing layers and several layers just for blocking radiation. All on top of the several layers of carbon fiber.
    Per foot the BEAM module is 5 times heavier than any previous module. And a thousand times safer. The fact that the ISS is leaking like a civ even now I would think they would be clamoring for more like it to replace the modules already in space.
    NASA will never accept an operational ‘soft’ module until they have no other choice.

Readers: the rules for commenting!

 

No registration is required. I welcome all opinions, even those that strongly criticize my commentary.

 

However, name-calling and obscenities will not be tolerated. First time offenders who are new to the site will be warned. Second time offenders or first time offenders who have been here awhile will be suspended for a week. After that, I will ban you. Period.

 

Note also that first time commenters as well as any comment with more than one link will be placed in moderation for my approval. Be patient, I will get to it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *