After NASA’s lackluster attempt on Thursday to inflate BEAM, an expandable activity module, it had considerably more success today.
NASA began their second attempt early Saturday morning, with officials feeding air into BEAM in seconds-long intervals. By 4:10pm EST, the module had inflated to 67 inches.
My earbuds were filled with the sounds of popping popcorn as BEAM expanded. The sounds, according to officials are the “pops we want to hear as the module continues to expand outwards.”
After the module was inflated, NASA moved on to the next step, which involved pressurizing BEAM.
If it reaches full capacity, it will remain attached to the International Space Stations’ Tranquility module for two years as astronauts conduct tests on its performance. After that, experts will determine whether they can be used in the event that we send astronauts to Mars.
[NASA]