A new use for the ISS Options

[Stu]

I know there's about as much chance of this happening as there is of Keira Knightley ringing me up and asking me to show her the stars on the next clear night, but what a wonderful, wonderful idea...

Moving the ISS

[jmjawors]

Hrm. Wow. I only made it through about half of that. He's fudging somewhat to get us to the conclusion that he has clearly reached (nothing more to learn in LEO) and that it would be "fairly easy" to retrofit it for interplanetary (!!!) travel.

It is an interesting idea, but I suspect that any engineers that read and post here would punch a million practical holes in it.

But aside from the engineering, I disagree with the premise that we have figured out how to combat the effects of weightlessness. He doesn't even mention radiation (unless he does on page 2... didn't get there). I also disagree that that is the ISS's sole function anyway, at least as it is ultimately envisioned. There's plenty of work to be done up there with materials and bio-medical science that benefit not just astronauts but the rest of us down here. We just have to get it up to that 6 person crew (next year).