About Alpha Inflatables.
Transform your imagination into reality with Alpha Inflatables, a hands-on Cadet Alpha program at Space Voyage Summer Camp! This immersive 4-5 day adventure lets students design and build their own space station modules and spacecraft using 4-mil polyethylene plastic, duct tape, and a simple box fan—mirroring innovative real-world technologies that could shape the future of space exploration.
Starting with basic shapes and progressing to complex structures, campers master the art of fabrication through project-based learning. You'll craft incredible creations like docking modules, space shuttle mid-decks, Mercury capsules, labs, mazes, cubes, rockets, and more—then take your finished inflatable home as a proud memento! All necessary supplies, including 4-mil poly and other plastics, tape, and tools, are provided.
This program traces its roots back to 1993, when Doc Palmere and Space Voyage instructors built their first inflatable shuttle. Since then, we've created over 17 unique inflatables, blending fun with "hands-on, minds-on" education.
Campers also explore commercial inflatable habitats—like NASA's BEAM module on the International Space Station and advanced designs from companies such as Sierra Space—discovering how these lightweight, expandable structures offer more living space with less launch weight for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Super engaging for students who thrive in 3D thinking and spatial reasoning (one of Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences), Alpha Inflatables is thoughtfully designed to be completed in one exciting week, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and independence in a supportive environment.
Did you know? The following companies and organizationsuse inflatables in space:
Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) - NASA
BEAM Inflatable Space Habitat Has Successful 1st Year in Orbit | Space
InterplasinSights.com (Could plastics help create an inflatable lunar habitat?)
