Panel Advises Longer Life For Space Station

suraj.sun writes "A presidential panel reviewing the US space program has found that the United States needs to boost NASA's budget by $1.5 billion to fly the last seven shuttle missions and should extend International Space Station operations through 2020. The panel also proposed adding an extra, eighth shuttle flight to help keep the station supplied and narrow an expected 5-7 year gap between the time the shuttle fleet is retired and a new US spaceship is ready to fly."

They forgot the eBay option

[NotQuiteReal]

Almost New - In orbit. Space Station. NR

Shipping - no delivery options. Get there yourself.

Re:Ion engine?

[theheadlessrabbit]

There's no ion engine that can lift 303t.

then use two.

I'm temped to suggest a beowulf cluster of ion engines, but I don't want to take the karma hit.

Honestly, the answer is so simple! And I'm just a normal person who can't even do long division. How is it that I know all the answers to solving the ISS problems when these NASA engineers can't seem to figure it out? for serious...

Re:Decommission Shuttle at the station

[beckett]

sometimes, all you need is a working toilet.

Re:Decommission Shuttle at the station

[camperdave]

It'd stop working about about a month or two and that'd just be more facility for the Russians to spend time repairing.

"Bah! American components, Russian Components, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!"

Re:Nope

[Anonymous Coward]

You have it backwards, the ISS is a pressurized environment in a near vacuum. If anything it would blow. ;)