Vacuum tarps are sheets of flexible vacuum rated material often used for sealing large hull breaches or deep space survival.

There is no clear consensus when the first vacuum tarp was created but they became a mainstay of many damage control kits and versions are manufactured by a wide variety of companies who make space equipment.

While a basic vacuum tarp’s primary function is simply trapping atmosphere, middle to high grade tarps also are insulated and radiation shielded. The resulting apparently thin sheet of plastic-like material is actually several sheets of different materials micro-laminated together. There is not a single material every vacuum tarp is made from, however they often include flexible materials such as Steenplast, Yarvex, Stone Thread, or various plastics and polymers.

Vacuum tarps come in a wide variety of shapes and colors. However, they are commonly sold in squares of various sizes and are either clear or high visibility colors.

Vacuum tarps are intended to be used in conjunction with adhesives such as Molecure Tape to patch large breaches in a spacecraft’s hull or to create livable areas on a drifting wreck. The main benefit of a vacuum tarp is that it is not reliant on having access to a power source.

The vacuum tent is the logical derivative of the vacuum tarp. Just as sentient creatures have been propping up tarps with sticks to make tents, so have they done with the vacuum tarp. Vacuum tents are structures utilizing vacuum tarp materials to create semi-permanent, livable spaces in space or CBRN defense survival situations. Vacuum tents come in a variety of sizes and shapes ranging from single person survival tents to large structures designed to be field hospitals or command centers. Additionally, some larger, more elaborate tents come with tubes large enough for a person to walk upright in, used to connect structures and form airlocks. These become functionally modular habitats. At its most basic, however, a vacuum tent is an igloo-like structure with a small airlock comprised of the same tarp material with doors that can seal and unseal¹⁾.

Vacuum tents commonly come with some sort of life support capabilities including small generators, oxygen production or filtration systems, and climate control systems.

Locked 0ut created this article on 2022/12/01 07:47.