Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM)
Quick Facts
It took over seven hours and 25 short bursts of air to expand BEAM to its full length and diameter.
The hatch to BEAM was first opened up on June 6, 2016, two months after it was installed to Tranquility.
The Canadarm2 robotic arm removed BEAM from the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft and installed it on the Tranquility module’s aft port.
The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an expandable habitat technology demonstration for the International Space Station. Expandable habitats greatly decrease the amount of transport volume for future space missions. These “expandables” require minimal payload volume on a rocket, but expand after being deployed in space to potentially provide a comfortable area for astronauts to live and work. They also provide a varying degree of protection from solar and cosmic radiation, space debris, atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation and other elements of the space environment.
Mass: 3,115.1 lbs
Length: 13.2 feet
Diameter: 10.6 feet
Living volume: 565 cubic feet
Mission Overview
Launch: 4/8/16
Installation: 4/16/16
Expansion: 5/28/16
Hatch Open: 6/6/16
Mission Extension: 12/4/17
