Through his latest business venture, Bigelow Aerospace, the hotel mogul, who caught the space bug as a boy in the 1950s, has been quietly building the world's first commercial space station.
If all goes well, space hotels will not be far behind -- provided that future space tourists have a way to check in.
Applying lessons learned from his terrestrial development ventures, Bigelow plans to make Bigelow Aerospace profitable by selling Nautilus modules as orbital laboratories and tourist destinations for $100 million each.
That price will include a standardized, fully configured module, complete with life support systems as well as living and working areas. The company will provide astronauts and broker launch services for additional fees. Leasing options will also be available.
Bigelow says he wants to put the United States back at the forefront of space technology, and to make it possible for "Joe Six-Pack" to vacation in space.
"NASA is so risk-averse," he told Reuters. "That's insane for exploration. Zero risk means zero accomplishment."
I've seen the movies. This guy can only be trying to rule the world. Link
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