Thin Films and Inflatable Applications in Exploration Habitat Structures

NASA's vision to return to the Moon and then extend human exploration to Mars will benefit from human habitat technology development using new and creative applications of polymer materials and concepts. Thin Film and Inflatable (TFVI) materials are particularly interesting for exploration applications due to their light weight and low volume. Whereas TF/I materials can be launched and carried from Earth to multiple and distant exploration sites without the constraints of upmass limitations, eventually, with recycling and reclamation efforts, these materials may be developed using in-situ resources. These materials can be useful for fabricating, patching and repairing vehicles, replacement parts and even habitat structures, as well as for developing stand-alone habitat structure technologies and for nested and integrated applications. TF/Is can also be ideal environmental containment vessels within lunar or Martian regolith walls or as liners inside caves or raw regolith exterior structures for the provisions of atmosphere containment, debris protection and cleanliness. Further, TFOs can be specialized and matured for various and diverse applications. The desired range of applications will require materials specification for such properties as transparency, elasticity, thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, heat capacity, chemical resistance, and permeability. This paper will discuss Marshall Space Flight Center's plans to analyze and prioritize TF/I materials properties and classifications and to develop applications for these highly desirable materials in human habitat construction projects on the Moon and Mars.