Langley engineer Rene A. Berglund examines a model of an inflatable space station concept (not his design). "While still in pursuit of the best possible inflatable torus, the NASA Langley space station group did explore other ideas. Most notably, in the summer of 1961 it entered into a six-month contract with North American Aviation for a detailed feasibility study of an advanced space station concept. Developed by Langley engineer Rene A. Berglund, the design called for a large modular manned space station, which although essentially rigid in structure, could still be automatically erected in space. In essence, Berglund's idea was to put together a series of six rigid modules that were connected by inflatable spokes or passageways to a central non rotating hub.
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