New Scientist has a report on the growing viability of Space Tourism, and on plans by an American hotelier to expand his business.. off-planet.
Adapted from TransHab, a never-used NASA design for an inflatable space station, Bigelow's Nautilus space station module will provide 330 cubic metres of living space for space tourists or industrial researchers.
The inflatable multilayered polymer hull of the "hab" will be around 30 centimetres thick and will contain layers of Kevlar - as used in bullet-proof vests - to provide some protection against micrometeorites and space debris.
Nautiluses could be flown as independent space stations or connected with a docking mechanism to make bigger hotels. Bigelow sees economies of scale as one of the keys to profitability, and plans to sell space hotels to rivals for $100 million each.
The full report is available here.
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