True, it is not possible for one to even dream of exploring the cold, harsh, isolated landscape of Antarctica, except some smitten scientists and adventurer, just like that of the moon! No, am not making any erratic comparison - it is the NASA that might have found the climate there somewhat similar to that of the moon!
And, soon it will be using the, perhaps, moon-like Antarctica landscape and a prototype inflatable habitat, to test one of its concepts for astronaut housing on the moon. The agency is sending a prototype inflatable habitat to Antarctica to see how it stands up during a year of use.
It will be sending the prototype in the remotest and most brazen areas to find out how it deals against the extreme climate there during a year of use. The test will be conducted for a period of 13 month — from January 2008 to February 2009. This inflatable habitat is just one of several concepts that are being considered for astronaut living on the moon.
Paul Lockhart, director of Constellation Systems for NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Headquarters, Washington said,
To land one pound of supplies on the lunar surface, it’ll require us to launch 125 pounds of hardware and fuel to get it there. So our habitation concepts have to be lightweight as well as durable. This prototype inflatable habitat can be taken down and redeployed multiple times, and it only takes four crew members a few hours to set up, permitting exploration beyond the initial landing area.
This use of the prototype would provide an opportunity to see what it would be like to use a similar habitat during lunar exploration. This venture would definitely help NASA’s Constellation Program, which is working to send humans back to the moon by 2020.
To read more about NASA’s space exploration plans, visit here...
