US, Russian Astronauts Enter ISS Deep Space Habitat for First Time

US astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka were tasked with collecting an air sample and downloading data from sensors inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) habitat.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka entered the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) habitat on board the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said in a statement on Monday.

"Along with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, [US astronaut Jeff] Williams entered BEAM for the first time to collect an air sample and begin downloading data from sensors on the dynamics of BEAM’s expansion," NASA stated.

At 4:47am ET, @Astro_Jeff opened the hatch to @BigelowSpace’s Expandable Activity Module: https://t.co/0C2q3BWBep pic.twitter.com/U1TFhHPpas

— NASA (@NASA) 6 июня 2016 г.

Williams told NASA Mission Control that the habit looked "pristine" and was cold, but also noted that there was no evidence of condensation inside the module.

BEAM is designed to take up less space on a rocket than a traditional space habitat. During a two-year mission, astronauts will test how it performs and protects against solar radiation, space debris and extreme temperatures.

BEAM launched on April 8 on board a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft and was attached to the ISS about a week later.

Introducing my Soyuz TMA-20M crewmates Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin. FB note here: https://t.co/mZyQSgAtku pic.twitter.com/uhRX4ziq82

— Jeff Williams (@Astro_Jeff) 16 февраля 2016 г.