Scientists 'blow up space station' to test 'burst point' of life-sustaining bubble

A FULLSCALE space station model has blown up at NASA's Marshall Space Center in Alabama.

The bizarre experiment was conducted by Sierra Space, which blew up its first prototype space station module in preparation for future missions.

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Blowing up the space station prototype was no easy task.

The module was about the size of a three-story apartment.

Sierra Space has named its space station LIFE, which stands for Large Integrated Flexible Environment.

The space habitat was over twenty feet tall before it burst.

It is made of woven fabrics and is designed to be carried on a rocket during space missions.

Once in space, it can be blown up into orbit and become a home for astronauts.

The goal is for the space house to have a larger volume than the current International Space Station.

Sierra Space wanted to test the safety limits of the structure and see how much inflation was too high.

An Ultimate Burst Pressure was used to test how strong the space station material is.

Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space, said: “We are driving the reinvention of the space station that will shape a new era of human exploration and discovery in Low Earth Orbit and beyond.

“Sierra Space's inflatable space station technology offers the absolute largest pressurized volume in space, the best unit economics per volume in space, and the lowest launch and total operating costs.

“Having the best unit economics positions Sierra Space as an industry leader in microgravity research and product development, giving customers the most attractive return on their investment.”

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center provides services to Sierra Space as part of a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement.

The agreement supports the development of the company's commercial Low Earth Orbit technology and risk reduction activities.

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