Inside Lockheed Martin's prototype astronaut habitat: computers and even a greenhouse in deep space

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – The beds are built into the walls, the tables fold down and a robotic arm looms about the cabin. Like an RV in space, the module that astronauts one day may call their home very far away from home is closer to becoming a reality. The Orlando Sentinel reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

7 March 2019 -- At Kennedy Space Center, Lockheed Martin has finalized its version of what a deep space astronaut habitat could look like, with four beds, a sort of greenhouse, space for computers, and space for science.

It’s tight — 13 feet wide and about 8 feet across inside, about the size of a van — and cylindrical, with just enough room for four astronauts to one day float around inside.

Lockheed’s design for the habitat is one of five in production under NASA’s NextSTEP contract, which also partnered with Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corp.’s Space Systems, Orbital ATK and Bigelow Aerospace for a combined $65 million to design deep space lunar habitats. Texas-based NanoRacks is also part of the contract and working on repurposing the spent upper stage of rockets.

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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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