ISS doesn't have to be space junk?

I'd just turn the ISS over to the Russians, Japanese, and the
Europeans and spend the US tax payers money accelerating the
deployment of the Ares V and other new vehicles and habitat structures.

Once the Ares V is operational, I'd launch two Skylab-like habitats
into LEO not too far away from each other. So if there is an accident
aboard one of the stations, the crew could always seek refuge at the
other station. Astronauts or tourist aboard these habitats could be
supplied with water and oxygen by launching a 180 ton water tanker
into to orbit near the space stations. This should supply 6 people
with enough water and oxygen (via electrolysis) for at least a couple
of years even without any recycling of oxygen and water.

Additional Skylabs could also be launched for space tourist or for
friendly nations or private companies that want their own individual
space station.

Skylab-like habitats could also be launched into lunar and even
Martian orbit.

But I'd also like to see NASA use the 180 ton launch capability of the
Ares V to finally launch a real rotating space station that could
house a dozen people (6 in each habitat structure extending by cables
and perhaps a solid boom from the central axis of the rotating structure.

There won't ever be any O'Neill type of space colonies in the future
unless we find out if people can really survive for months and years
under simulated gravity conditions in space. And the sooner we do
this, the better, IMO. NASA really should have attempted to use the
Saturn V to launch this type of space station back in the 1970's, IMO.

Marcel F. Williams

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Combs, Mike" wrote: