The first prototype of NASA’s deep space habitat will be made up of a recycled aluminum cargo container and will help the space agency to develop life-support systems that can protect astronauts when they travel beyond low-Earth orbits.
The cargo space container, named Donatello built 15 years ago, will be refurbished into a habitat prototype by Lockheed Martin,a global security and aerospace company at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
Donatello:
- Donatello, cargo space container.
- From the outside, Donatello looks like just a massive cylindrical metal container.
- In addition,about 21 feet long and 15 feet in diameter.
- However, the interior will be turned into a living quarter, with robotics work stations for astronauts.
- Furthermore, a place to exercise and storage spaces for food, water, toiletries.
- Donatello, was one of three built by the Italian Space Agency in the 1990s to serve as “moving vans carrying equipment, experiments and supplies to and from the International Space Station”.
- It was delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre from Italy in 2001.
- Bill Pratt, programme manager for the habitat contract, at Lockheed Martin.
- Said,all the tings you need to live and be happy in space.
- In addition,while building this habitat.
- We have to operate in a different mindset that’s more akin to long trips to Mars.
- Furthermore,to ensure we keep them safe, healthy and productive,” Pratt added.
- The project, which would take about 18 months to be ready for roll out.
- In additioin,it is a step toward NASA’s next big human spaceflight project called the Deep Space Gateway.
- Deep Space Gateway,a “spaceport” in the moon’s orbit where astronauts would live for up to an year.
- The Deep Space Gateway habitat will be docked to a spacecraft called Orion, the “exploration vehicle” that will carry astronauts to space.