Dozens of NASA officials and former astronauts are now working to test inflatable space lodges which will house astronauts on the surface of the Moon.
The team is reviewing five different massive housing mock-ups built by different companies.
The outpost will be known as a Lunar Gateway – a modular space station with living quarters for astronauts, a lab for research, and ports for visiting spacecraft. This particular prototype, created by Bigelow Aerospace, is launched from Earth inside a rocket, and unfurls into a two-story, 55-foot-long dwelling for six people. The outer fabric layer will protect astronauts from deep space radiation and high-speed space debris.
NASA is looking for the best way to incorporate noise-canceling sleeping quarters, a small kitchen, a workout area and a “reliable and easy-to-use toilet.” In the months following the prototype testing, the agency will release a blueprint of the best layout.
The entrepreneur behind the Bigelow prototype says these units are a precursor for going to Mars, and if successful they can house space travelers inhabiting the planet.
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