For sale: space experience

June 11, 2010 | By Bruce N. Wright

Fig. 1-Kriss Kennedy's design for a spherical inflatable lunar habitat, 1987-1989.
Fig. 1-Kriss Kennedy's design for a spherical inflatable lunar habitat, 1987-1989.
  • Fig. 2-TransHab attached to the International Space Station, rendering.
  • Fig. 3-ISS TransHab internal view.
  • Fig. 4-TransHab overview.
  • Fig. 5-TransHab Level 1 Galley Wardroom Area, CAD image.
  • Fig. 6-TransHab Level 3 CAD image.

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In another example of the "Nothing New under the Sun" category, The New York Times reported in this week's "Science Times" special section that an entrepreneur plans to build an inflatable spacecraft for habitation in outer space. According to the Times, the concept for the prototype - the "Sundancer" - derives from TransHab, a late 1990s NASA program that was cancelled, which Fabric Architecture covered in the Sept./Oct. 1999 issue. Images from that article are posted in the box on the right.

Interesting to note is NASA space architect Kriss Kennedy's rosy prediction that NASA was on the brink of a new wave of extraterrestrial structures that would incorporate the latest development in high-tech textiles. We all know the outcome of the past decade with its grim economic times and the subsequent impact on ambitious plans. Plus ça change...?

Bruce N. Wright, AIA, is the editor of Fabric Architecture.

  • Fig. 2-TransHab attached to the International Space Station, rendering.
    Fig. 2-TransHab attached to the International Space Station, rendering.
  • Fig. 3-ISS TransHab internal view.
    Fig. 3-ISS TransHab internal view.
  • Fig. 4-TransHab overview.
    Fig. 4-TransHab overview.
  • Fig. 5-TransHab Level 1 Galley Wardroom Area, CAD image.
    Fig. 5-TransHab Level 1 Galley Wardroom Area, CAD image.
  • Fig. 6-TransHab Level 3 CAD image.
    Fig. 6-TransHab Level 3 CAD image.

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