Cargo Transfer Bag
This project was completed at my soft goods internship at Johnson Space Center. I was challenged to develop a concept for a lightweight, flat-packing stowage bag for deep space exploration, specifically the lunar Gateway mission to establish a human presence on the moon. The design for this bag comes out of frustrations with the current CTB design–a 4lb bag with padding, no visibility of the contents, and no way to realistically interface with a robot.
My research consisted of talking to experts and examining current CTB designs. The experts included NASA soft goods designers, crew liaisons, robotics engineers, astronauts, space architects, and material scientists. I distilled their varied needs and visions for this project into a list of requirements, and made drawings and sketch models of my initial concepts. These designs were evaluated by a number of the same experts, which then gave me perspective on how to move forward into a more finalized design.
The final prototype weighs 2.5 lbs and packs flat similar to a paper bag. It is made of 2 layers of Nomex, a flame-retardant aramid fiber, with woven glass fabric inserts for stiffness, which are cored out to reduce weight. 4 of the bag’s sides have clear teflon windows– a feature that both reduces weight and allows flight crew members to directly see the contents of the bag.
Other features include 3 flat-folding handles, 2 teflon label pockets, 2 3D-printed grips for robot interfacing, and velcro pads to secure the bag in place while folded flat. These features were based on recommendations from astronauts and spaceflight soft-goods designers.
