Re: ISS after completion

On Nov 13, 7:26 pm, "Jonathan" <wr...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Harmon" <harmon.ever...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:1194876467.828430.181520@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As I understand it, NASA is planning on "retiring" the ISS at the end
of its nominal planned lifetime of ten years past its completion date
of 2010, that is, in 2020.

In a few decades, we'll be having this very same discusion about
what to do with the shiny new base we have on the moon.

How incredibly sad is that? What a great epitaph.

.....We Built Them and Nobody Came....

NASA needs to have a long term goal that actually
accomplishes something this time. Not another
engineering goal...ie...a make-work program
for the large contractors to maintain their
space capabilities.

s

I think NASA should be involved with basic exploration - and manned
missions to the Moon and Mars. As a Government agency, they are not
supposed to make a profit. Which kinda crimps the next step in the
development of space, because the next step is pretty clearly to make
a LEO space station into a profitable activity. When Christopher
Columbus' men begged him to turn back, he refused; not because he knew
he was right and was determined to prove it, but because when Queen
Isabella had loaned him the money, she not only told him to bring back
her ships filled with loot, but not to come back until they WERE
filled with loot, or she would find him. He couldn't turn back until
he had found something.

NASA can't really go after the space tourist market - they aren't
supposed to use my tax dollars to set up a resort for rich space
tourists, and there isn't a reason for them to do anything to help
space tourists, because they can't make a profit from it. Health and
Human Services isn't supposed to make a profit. DOD isn't supposed to
make a profit. At that point, what do we as a country "get" out of
NASA doing space research? Making our part of the solar system a
better place for our children to live? Preparing the way so our
children and grandchildren can be spacefaring citizens? Developing
enough space infrastructure so we can take care of any incoming
asteroids and comets?

While it is necessary to make space activities make enough money to
support themselves, and encourage more development, that function is
essentially removed from NASA's purview. Space communications
satellites have succeeded because they were able to be expanded and
developed by private organizations, and do what they do cheaper ,
easier and more robustly than earth based solutions. During Hurricane
Katrina, space based resources were about the only thing that was
functioning successfully.

I'm trying to think about how the ISS fits into this environment of
competitive private space stations, and what kind of profit making
activities will work on board an ISS base when it gets turned loose
from NASA. It probably needs more volume - an inflatable module or two
to house resort guests and work crews. If microgravity research is a
serious consideration, it probably needs to have a free flyer
laboratory or two that can undock from the ISS and fly along side it
for a month or two and then be reacquired, so that ISS guest and
workcrew vibrations don't hamper microgravity research.

But then, if microgravity research requires a totally separate
vehicle, is there an advantage to having it attached to the ISS? And
if a space resort high inclination orbit is not suitable for Moon and
Mars expedition outfitting, is that also better achieved by using a
separate new vehicle?
Harmon

.

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