Submission + - NIACs last hurrah: 1000 km space bubble structures
nanotrends writes: "The last Nasa Institute for Advanced Studies projects are being presented now at the NIAC site.
Some of the last NIAC studies are a system for making massive bubbles in space and then making them rigid after inflation and roving lunar RVs that carry an inflatable connection for a base camp. A single bubble can be 1 meter in earth gravity, 100 kilometer in low earth orbit or 1000 kilometers in deep space. Foams made of many bubbles could be far larger in size. Metal can be evaporated to coat the inside of the bubble for reflective sails and telescopes. Large structures can make telescopes that are millions of times more powerful than the Hubble Space telescope and solar sails that are light weight and fast."
Some of the last NIAC studies are a system for making massive bubbles in space and then making them rigid after inflation and roving lunar RVs that carry an inflatable connection for a base camp. A single bubble can be 1 meter in earth gravity, 100 kilometer in low earth orbit or 1000 kilometers in deep space. Foams made of many bubbles could be far larger in size. Metal can be evaporated to coat the inside of the bubble for reflective sails and telescopes. Large structures can make telescopes that are millions of times more powerful than the Hubble Space telescope and solar sails that are light weight and fast."
