http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/28430983/nlv-aerospace-company-making-out-of-this-world-history

NLV aerospace company making out-of-this-world history
Posted: Mar 12, 2015 9:15 PM PDT Updated: Mar 12, 2015 9:37 PM PDT
Written by Danielle Miller

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LAS VEGAS (FOX5) - For the first time ever a privately made spacecraft will be attached to the International Space Station.

The inflatable habitat was built in North Las Vegas.

Robert Bigelow, owner of Bigelow Aerospace, and NASA officials provided a firsthand look Thursday at the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module - or BEAM - before it's shipped off to the Kennedy Space Center for launch in September. It will be attached to ISS to test expandable space habitat technology.

The hope is to advance long-duration human space life missions.

"Space station is a great test bed, we use space station to test concepts for hardware that we may want to use when we go for long duration missions out to Mars and other locations,” NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operation William Gerstenmaier said.

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http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/science/nlv-company-shows-inflatable-space-station-module-photos

NLV company shows off inflatable space station module — PHOTOS
Posted March 12, 2015 - 2:07pmUpdated March 12, 2015 - 2:59pm

By RICHARD N. VELOTTA
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

It’s almost inconceivable to consider launching a small package into space, inflating it like a balloon and living in it.

But that’s what North Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace is working with NASA to do in the fall when the company’s first Bigelow Expandable Activity Module is placed into orbit and attached to the International Space Station.

Before an international media contingent, company founder Robert Bigelow and William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA’s human exploration and operations, on Thursday fielded questions in advance of the BEAM module being shipped to the Kennedy Space Center on the Florida coast for an anticipated September launch.

The BEAM will be attached to the International Space Station — a process called “berthing” — and it will remain in place for two years while scientists and mission specialists conduct tests to determine its usability.

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