I read the full article too. Very interesting. Over the years I had heard occasional mention of the inflatable space module concept, and here is where it ended up. As visionaries go, "Mr. Bigelow" sounds refreshingly hard-headed. Here's hoping his Genesis I test module holds up. It certainly sounds versatile. The really crucial question is: can private industry design a personnel shuttle that can make it ALL the way into orbit and back?
Does anybody know anything about current heat shield concepts? The old ablative heat shields are impractical on larger vehicles and I think we've had enough of those dainty ceramic shuttle tiles...
A space blimp, cool.
Hope it doesn't get popped by a meteorite or chunk of space junk.
If the concept works, perhaps the inflatable concept could be used to bring the ship to orbital height as well (using helium or some other lighter than air gas). Look ma, no rockets.