Boom! Watch an inflatable space station module explode on video

[Admin]

Sierra Space performed a "burst pressure" test on a space station module prototype, to prepare for future development on the Orbital Reef station for NASA.

Boom! Watch an inflatable space station module explode on video : Read more

 

[Robert Lucien Howe]

Doesn't 182.4 psi seem an insanely high pressure to need to reach? Over ten times atmospheric pressure. Some 128 tons per square metre. (sorry for the mixed notation)
Of course a woven inflatable structure can be designed to do it and did - very impressive test..

 

[billslugg]

They probably include fudge factors for micrometeorite damage, solar UV damage, being hit by a spacecraft, etc etc.

 

[Robert Lucien Howe]

They probably include fudge factors for micrometeorite damage, solar UV damage, being hit by a spacecraft, etc etc.

That certainly makes sense. It can be seen as adding a margin to allow for potential structural degradation over the lifespan. Adding a margin to survive a certain level of impact in case of collision also makes total sense.