There is a need for temporary structures that can be erected very quickly with a minimum of effort yet transported very compactly. The tent is the usual solution to this, but the average tent requires both a strong impermiable sheet material plus a rigid rod to keep it in shape. The sheet material is usually a single membrane which might be waterproofed but has only slight insulating cpability. The rod material can be lightweight telescoping material which is, nevertheless, bulky and requires a bit of time to assemble and connect to the sheeting. Both problems could be remedied by using the capabilities of plastic sheeting to be formed into two layers that incorporate a network of sealed channels which are connected to a source of pneumatic pressure.Those parts of the double layer which are not part of the channel system can be lightly connected to form bubbles which have a high insulation capability. The structure can be tossed from a cargo helicopter as a tight bundle and when it hits the ground, a pressure cylinder of gas can be released to the channel system which automatically inflates the structure for immediate occupation. The sheeting material can be vacuum coated internally and externally for maximum radiation insulation. Although this type of structure would be useful in rescue and military situations, it could be used in civilian life to be inflated by a bicycle pump or those automobile pumps used for tire inflation. The same approach could be used to make an umbrella with ribs that do not permanantly bend in a wind. The pump could be in the handle.

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