SHEE – Self-deployable Habitat for Extreme Environments

Acoustic noise is an important issue with spaceflight and space habitats. The technical and mechanical equipment in space habitats, such as the International Space Station (ISS), have become increasingly more powerful and complex thus the interior noise pollution increases and negatively influences the crew. Irritable noise levels have the capacity to adversely affect health, and work performance in such environments. Technology readiness levels of equipment will allow in the near future human space exploration to the Moon or Mars and will require acoustically tested habitats for successful long-duration settlements. Construction of habitats will happen through autonomous robotic deployment of these structures..

A research project co-funded by the EU is currently exploring the effective integration of architecture and robotics within the framework of the above-mentioned extra-terrestrial settlement. The project is called
SHEE – Self-deployable Habitat for Extreme Environments. Its objective is to come up with a design concept for a minimal space habitat for two people, which will initially be tested in a laboratory environment along with its technical infrastructure. SHEE will be fitted with a system of deployable petals that can be automatically unfolded to make the habitat larger. The overall structure has been designed for sustainability: it features integrated functions despite the small amount of available space; water and air are filtered or recycled and the habitat can manage with limited resources.

Nimbus Group supports this pioneering project and supplies its Rossoacoustic brand CP30 materials which are ultra-light, transparent and micro-perforated for interior zoning in the habitat test-bed for terrestrial simulations.
Rossoacoustic is a highly flexible shading and zoning system for providing effective acoustic solutions for living and working environments. Its’ unique acoustic properties are accredited to ‘micro-perforation’ technology; developed in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Society for Building Physics; specifically for these purposes and uses. Rossoacoustic CP30 reduces reverberation time and absorbs undesirable noise.