The end of the ISS - if Trump wins

[maurvir]

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/11 ... in-future/

So, what happens now?

In January 2018, the Trump administration kicked off the discussion about the space station’s future by proposing that “direct” support for the orbiting laboratory would end in 2025. At that time, the White House said that NASA should transition to "commercial provision of low-Earth orbit capabilities."

This notion immediately met pushback from Congress, particularly members from states such as Texas and Florida that benefit from space station-related jobs. As a result, while there is talk about commercial companies taking over in low-Earth orbit sometime in the 2020s (possibly through the construction of independent stations), the future is murky, and there is no firm plan.

[macnuke]

No shareholder value then it’s not needed

[DukeofNuke]

the future is murky, and there is no firm plan.

Sums up the entire Trump presidency quite nicely.

[ukimalefu]

No shareholder value then it’s not needed

SpaceX is making money going up there, shareholders may not want to lose that.

[TOS]

it's been up there for 20 years and simply can't last forever ... i suppose in theory they could replace modules, but core modules probably can't be swapped out (and the cost would be astronomical in any event)

it isn't just about trump, there was never a long-term strategy for iss -- the problem nowadays is that washington just doesn't do long-term space strategy (and never has)

in the 60s they built the best heavy-lift rocket system in history, drew up plans for moon bases, orbiting stations, space tugs, and missions to mars and asteroids, then threw it all away in favour of the space shuttle (which never had a mission)

now they've built up a sophisticated infrastructure for maintaining a permanent presence in space, in coordination with a long list of countries and resulting in remarkable new technology, and will almost certainly wind up tossing it in the shitter in favour of new projects that make no sense, like lop-g or the lunar gateway or whatever the hell they're calling it now

on the upside, in keeping with our current fuckupocracy, deorbiting the iss promises to be spectacularly messy

[ukimalefu]

I seriously don't know, where there ever plans of building another space station?

politicians will talk, just talk, about focusing on the moon and/or mars, but what about something in orbit? nothing?

[Pithecanthropus]

God I stick fiddling hate Trump. If it doesn't make money, it's gotta go. fiddlesticks that attitude.

[juice]

Did anyone else giggle at the "astronomical cost" commentary?

[TOS]

I seriously don't know, where there ever plans of building another space station?

politicians will talk, just talk, about focusing on the moon and/or mars, but what about something in orbit? nothing?

there are always plans

[ukimalefu]

Did anyone else giggle at the "astronomical cost" commentary?

didn't see it

and fiddlesticks people who complain about the cost of science, they're wrong AND they lie

[ukimalefu]

Celebrate 20 years of the ISS

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/2/2154 ... n-presence

Yay

happy space birthday

[TOS]

it's cost around $150 billion so far

was it worth it? or is it one of those "you can't put a price on yaddayaddayadda" kind of things?

[juice]

I'd rather spend it on that than endless wars on terror or drugs.

[ukimalefu]

it's cost around $150 billion so far

was it worth it? or is it one of those "you can't put a price on yaddayaddayadda" kind of things?

[juice]

Is that dollars adjusted for inflation?

[ukimalefu]

Is that dollars adjusted for inflation?

I don't know and it doesn't matter, I just wanted some random graphic to show that the space program is nothing compared to the rest of the US budget, and the biggest part, half or more, is for the military.