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America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully [inflation / inflated] a new, experimental room for [crew / clue] members to [use / used] in space. The inflatable pod is now an [extended / extension] to the International Space Station (ISS). It is [roughly / rough] four metres long and 3.2 metres wide. It took three days to fully inflate. ISS crew members now have to wait a week [then / before] entering it. NASA engineers must first [ensure / in case] it is airtight. The blow-up compartment is part of a test on the [feasibility / feasible] of inflatable accommodation on the Moon and Mars, and of orbiting [spaced / space] hotels. NASA paid $17.8 million for the demo capsule. It hopes this [initial / initially] test will lead to bigger inflatable rooms at the space station.

The inflatable is the world's first [blew up / blow-up] capsule for astronauts, cosmonauts and [another / other] space travellers. It is called the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM [for / four] short. It is named after Bigelow Aerospace, the company that designed and [build / built] it. Company founder Robert Bigelow has spent [many / much] years investing in and building hotels. He is [present / currently] working on a project to build two private space stations that could [serve / save] as hotels in the heavens by the end of the decade. He said he [visions / envisions] inflatables as a big part of space travel and tourism [in / on] the future. The pods are small enough to transport as compressed, airless units, but big enough and [study / sturdy] enough to live in, once filled with air.