Science Source Feb 2010

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will use the Antarctica's frigid, harsh, isolated landscape to test a new architecture for astronaut housing on the moon. The agencies are sending a prototype inflatable habitat to the southernmost continent to see how it stands up to a year of use. Officials watched the habitat as it was inflated one last time at a site in Frederica, Del., before it was packed and shipped to McMurdo Station, NSF's logistical hub in Antarctica. McMurdo is one of three year-round stations NSF operates in Antarctica in its role as manager of the U.S. Antarctic Program. NSF and NASA are partners with ILC Dover, the company that manufactured the prototype structure, on the project. All three organizations will share data from the 13-month test, which will run from January 2008 to February 2009. An inflatable habitat is one of several concepts being considered for astronaut housing on the moon. "Testing the inflatable habitat in one of the harshest, most remote sites on Earth gives us the opportunity to see what it would be like to use for lunar exploration," said Paul Lockhart, director of Constellation Systems for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. The inflatable structure looks something like a backyard moon bounce for children, but is far more sophisticated. It is insulated and heated, has electrical power, and is pressurized. It offers 384 square feet of living space and has, at its highest point, an eight-foot ceiling. During the test period, sensors will allow engineers to monitor the habitat's performance. NSF is interested in lighter, easier-to-assemble habitats for use in the field in Antarctica. It currently uses a 50-year-old design known as a Jamesway hut, familiar to viewers of the television series M*A*S*H, that is bulky and complex in comparison to the habitat being tested. Modern variations on the Jamesway, although lighter, are still rigid and difficult to shi