Washington (AFP) – NASA on Saturday successfully expanded and pressurized an add-on room at the International Space Station two days after aborting the first attempt when it ran into problems.
The flexible habitat, known as the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), slowly extended 67 inches (170 centimeters) soon after 4 pm (2000 GMT) following more than seven hours during which astronaut Jeff Williams released short blasts of air into the pod’s walls from the orbiting lab using a manual valve.
After the expansion was completed, Williams opened eight air tanks inside BEAM, pressurizing the pod to a level close to the space station’s.
Astronauts will now perform tests to ensure the pod does not leak air and conduct other preparations before entering it for the first time in approximately a week.
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