Virgin Galactic has been in discussions with Bigelow Aerospace about the possible development of space hotels using Bigelow’s inflatable module technology, according to an article in Hotel Magazine. Richard Branson said in Dubai last week that Virgin Galactic is considering using Bigelow’s modules and unspecified space transportation systems to develop an orbital hotel:

We are talking to people who are developing hotels for space. We are also talking to people who are developing launch craft to get hotels into space. People know that we can turn something that might seem a bit bizarre into a commercial reality. Personally, I think there’s a demand for space hotels.

The unanswered questions here are when Virgin might pursue a space hotel, and how it would ferry passengers there and back. An orbital spacecraft (SpaceShipThree?) has been in the long-term plans for Burt Rutan, but it seems unlikely this would be ready until well after 2010, given the current focus on SpaceShipTwo and the technological challenges of developing an orbital version. Of course, it will take some time for Bigelow to develop full-scale inflatable modules, although the company is planning the first launch of subscale test modules later this year.

The Seattle Times scores an interview with Charles Simonyi, the former Microsoft developer who signed a contract yesterday to fly to the ISS as a space tourist. While some people might be content to float around in weightlessness and spend the day looking out the window, Simonyi wants to play a more active role on the station: “I’m technically capable, so I’m sure I can make myself useful,” he said. “I want to go all the way in terms of learning everything.” As the article notes:

With typical Microsoft gusto, the man who helped invent productivity software already has some thoughts about how to improve things such as the spacecraft’s checklist and manuals, and taking inventory at the space station.

Simonyi, who has done some preliminary training and passed his medical examination, said one of his goals for the flight is to study the different Russian and American engineering approaches.

I think this makes him a certified space geek. Not that that’s a bad thing. Simonyi added that his flight is a “small step” toward the further commercialization of space. “We all think that when you listen to ‘Star Trek’ and they say it’s the final frontier, how are you going to conquer space if you’re not taking steps to get more kinds of people into space?”