Re: Inflatable Lunar Habitat

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From: plai@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Patrick L Faith)
Subject: Re: Inflatable Lunar Habitat
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Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1993 04:45:34 GMT
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Here is a second attemp (I'll add some more comments)

<- pull on Fabric ZERO AIR PRESURE ON THIS SIDE

--------------------------------|
|
-------- |
| | <- graphite ribbed U
| --------
| vaccum sealent inbetween the air lock
------------------------------------------

NORMAL AIR PRESSURE Pull on Fabric --->

The fabric must be molded to a U shaped graphite rib - you don't
want a continous graphite U joint or the thing would loose flexibility-
thus the reason for graphite ribs (probably a rubber type glue attaches
the graphite/epoxy ribs) . There are a lot of greasy vacuum type
sealents around - I'd probably use on of them to put inside the
U shape. If I was going to do it I'd also have the graphite ribs
come together a bit - i.e. the top of the U would close in a bit - would
make it cleaner because the grease would stay in the U shape better.

A interesting side lite to this type of mechanism is if you thought
out the geometric shapes of "patches" of fabric - you could snap
sections of the fabric together on site and the overall structure
would not have to be pre-fabricated (i.e. you could change the
shape of your structure on site which ussually is not possible
using pre-fabricated glued seamed "tents").

Another way to view this whole thing is having vacuum-grade zippers
glued to the fabrics you are using. I'm perty sure NASA briefs have
bundles of information on vaccuum-grade zippers for space suites and
the like.

PLai
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