But before ambitions of Mars colonies can be met, The Gateway has to be designed to meet its specific mission goals. To that end, engineers from Airbus and Thales Alenia have begun developing airlock configurations that will allow humans and scientific equipment to enter and exit The Gateway with ease.
The first configuration—designed by Airbus and constructed by France’s Comex—was recently tested in a pool as a means of simulating the weightlessness of space.
“We wanted to see whether the astronauts had enough space to install hardware onto the payload table, perform any necessary checks and then move them through the airlock tunnel to be exposed to space,” Katherin Nowack, a Comex diver. “We also wanted to make sure the crew members had room to carry out maintenance or repair work inside the airlock and to identify where further crew interfaces – such as handrails – are required.”
During the test, two divers with experience working in weightless environments were asked to perform tasks that simulate how an astronaut would work in the airlock. By working in the flooded airlock, testers were able to identify where handrails could be placed to help astronauts with their work.
With the test complete, Airbus will continue to refine its design for The Gateway’s scientific airlock. Later this summer the ESA plans to offer a competitive request to build the airlock signaling further intent that The Gateway isn’t just a science fiction fantasy, but a genuine effort to push human exploration of the solar system further than ever before.