Core77

Today Russia launched an inflatable space station module reportedly designed to test the feasibility of an inflatable space hotel.

Launching it into orbit was the easy part; the difficulty will start when the craft reaches space, at which point the astronauts must use their lungs to physically inflate the structure like a huge balloon. Okay, just kidding, we're actually not sure how they inflate the thing, but we know it somehow expands to twice its size in orbit.

The Genesis-2 was backed by Las Vegas hotel mogul Robert Bigelow, who hopes his space hotel will be ready by 2015. As for the design of the hotel itself, we hear the views are great but there isn't much...atmosphere. (Sorry.)

via theage