The Colorado company Sierra Space, which is creating an inflatable module for an International Space Station (ISS) successor, deliberately exploded a new design on Aug. 17 that included a metal plate.

Sierra Space's latest deliberate explosion saw a futuristic space module prototype blow to pieces. The burst test is meant to assure safety for a space station that may fly in 2030.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of operations on the International Space Station (@ISS). On Dec. 6, 1998, the station's first two elements-the Unity and Zarya modules-were joined in low Earth orbit." ...

December 1998 - The space shuttle Endeavour crew, on the STS-88 mission, attaches the Unity module to Zarya initiating the first ISS assembly sequence.