Can a “balloon” survive a micro meteorite?
Yes, and they can even be better at dealing with debris strikes than solid modules.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflatable_space_habitat#Advantages
There has been an inflatable module, BEAM, on the ISS for almost 10 years:
https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/bigelow-expandable-activity-module-beam/
“The company is working on a small-scale prototype that they hope to get off the ground in early 2027. A key goal of that project will be field testing the module’s orbital debris protection system, ensuring that it can withstand the harsh environment of space. The defenses have held up to ground-based stress tests but have not yet been tested in space.”
Their CTO designed the Bigelow modules, so they might actually know what they’re doing. I would love to see them succeed on a similar path as Vast and beat the legacy primes, like Lockheed and Sierra, who are trying similar things.
