Aviation Week reports (subcription required) in the latest issue on the Genesis 1 spacecraft and points to the cooperation between the company and Johnson Space Center:

While attention is focused on the massive International Space Station (ISS), Bigelow Aerospace has quietly become a mini-Skunk Works for the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) here.

Ongoing technical assistance to Bigelow from JSC is focused on development of orbiting commercial inflatable modules by the end of the decade, with the possibility of JSC later using the Bigelow technology for inflatable modules on the Moon, say NASA managers. JSC officials visit Bigelow's heavily guarded facilities in Las Vegas often to track the progress.

If the Bigelow project continues to show success, it will certainly be interesting to see whether it will influence NASA's lunar exploration architecture.

The article also notes that a primary goal of the current mission is to test "the ability of the module to hold 7.5 psi. pressure over time."

Other articles of interest:
* Business takes one small step into space : The test of a privately funded space-station prototype last week opens new frontiers - csmonitor.com - July.17.06
* North Las Vegas is mission control for space balloon - Las Vegas SUN/AP - July.16.06