Inflatable Habitats: From the Space Station to the Moon and Mars?

The upcoming launch of a private inflatable module toward the International Space Station could help pave the way for colonies on the moon and Mars. Bigelow Aerospace's Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) will blast off on SpaceX's next robotic cargo mission to the space station for NASA. That flight was originally scheduled for September, but the disintegration of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during the company's last cargo run in late June will likely delay it. Whenever BEAM ends up reaching orbit, the module's addition to the International Space Station (ISS) will be a big milestone for inflatable spacecraft in general and Bigelow Aerospace in particular, company representatives said. More

(Source: Space.com - Aug 19)