Nasa may lease 'space tents'

A low-cost space dwelling that inflates like a balloon in orbit will be tested aboard the International Space Station. It may lead to Nasa leasing similar modules for its astronauts commercially.

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (Beam) is the third prototype developed by Bigelow Aerospace, a private company based in Las Vegas and owned by Robert Bigelow who runs a hotel chain.