ILC Dover's Inflatable Habitat Survives 250 Days in the Antarctic

Sept. 11, 2008 - PRLog -- Frederica, Delaware - A lightweight inflatable habitat, designed and fabricated at ILC Dover LP in Frederica, Delaware, was deployed in January at McMurdo Station, Antarctica in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center and the National Science Foundation.  To date it has survived 250 days of successful operation in the frigid Antarctic winter.  This milestone proves the durability of inflatable structures in harsh environments.  The project was funded in 2007 by a NASA Headquarters Innovative Partnership Program (IPP) and involved collaboration between Johnson Space Center, ILC Dover, and the National Science Foundation.

The main purpose of the project is to demonstrate the performance characteristics of a deployable habitat in an extreme environment.  This will help NASA prepare for the return to the moon and construction of a lunar outpost.  "Testing the inflatable habitat in one of the harshest, most remote sites on Earth gives us the opportunity to see what it would be like to use for lunar exploration," said Paul Lockhart, Director of Constellation Systems for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Headquarters, Washington.

NASA installed numerous instruments and cameras which have been constantly monitoring the performance of the inflatable structure during the harsh Antarctic winter.  The structure has performed well even after being exposed to months of recorded temperatures as low as -75F and winds gusting to 50 knots.

One of the key features of the habitat is its ability to be easily transported in a small package and set up quickly once on site.  The habitat was unpacked and fully deployed in less than 50 minutes during its first trial at McMurdo.  It packs like a tent but acts like a building once inflated.  But, unlike a tent, the habitat becomes a well insulated and nearly rigid structure that can withstand heavy snow and 100 mph wind extremes.  Its strength comes from an innovative tubular construction under a layer of insulation.  The National Science Foundation also has an interest in using this type of structure in the future instead of the traditional plywood and fabric structures they use today because it is lightweight and a small transportable package.  These advantages give the NSF greater mobility and access to remote field locations with greater protection and reduced logistical cost.

ILC Dover is continuing to develop more advanced deployable habitats for NASA in an ongoing program with Langley Research Center.  “Future habitat demonstrations will use state of the art materials that may someday be used on the moon” said Cliff Willey, Manager of Space Inflatables at ILC Dover.  “When designing a structure for the moon, mass is the most important factor in the design and high performance materials will need to be proven and demonstrated in earth tests that will prepare us for the return to the moon.”  ILC’s has past experience with inflatables in space having developed and built the landing airbags for Mars Pathfinder, Spirit, and Opportunity rovers and also building NASA EVA spacesuits for the Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle and ISS for the past 30 years.  ILC is located in Frederica, Delaware.


For more information about this release, contact:
Dave Cadogan
Director of Research and Technology
PH: 302-335-3911, ext. 213
cadogan@ilcdover.com

Or visit www.ilcdover.com


About ILC Dover
Since 1947, ILC has been active in the design and development of products for both government and industry.  Most ILC products are comprised of softgoods materials – products that are flexible by nature and result in innovative solutions to customer problems.
Whether protecting personnel in hostile environments, containing pharmaceuticals, or developing unique inflatable devices, ILC has an enviable record of performance.  By drawing from a blend of highly qualified personnel and a sound base of proven and innovative technologies (the same attributes that helped us put man on the moon and cushion rovers on Mars), ILC continues to develop reliable hardware and unique softgoods.
Commercial, military, and NASA customers rely on ILC’s multi-disciplined technical expertise to provide innovative solutions for a wide range of applications.  ILC Dover – “Creating What’s Next” for over 60 years.  Additional information can be found at www.ilcdover.com .

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Since 1947, ILC has designed and developed many products. Whether it's protecting personnel, containing potent pharmaceuticals, or developing unique inflatable devices, ILC has an enviable record of performance. ILC Dover – Creating What’s Next.