Musk angles for more federal contracts

[Radiorum]

The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). As the largest space station ever constructed, it primarily serves as a platform for conducting scientific experiments in microgravity and studying the space environment

As of 24 October 2024, 281 people representing 23 countries had visited the space station, many of them multiple times. The United States has sent 167 people, Russia has 61, Japan has sent 11, Canada has sent nine, Italy has sent six, France and Germany have each sent four, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates have each sent two, and there has been one person from Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Israel, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom

As of February 2025, nasa.gov states that there are 43 different modules and elements installed on the ISS. https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/international-space-station-assembly-elements/

 

Musk wants to shut it all down in favour of a contract for him to go to Mars.

(reminds me of SpaceX pushing out Verizon for the FAA contract)

[robosmith]

Well, it's not like the SS can't be used as a jumping off point for the Muskrat Mars trip. Bon Voyage Muskrat.

[Legato]

2 hours ago, Radiorum said:

The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). As the largest space station ever constructed, it primarily serves as a platform for conducting scientific experiments in microgravity and studying the space environment

As of 24 October 2024, 281 people representing 23 countries had visited the space station, many of them multiple times. The United States has sent 167 people, Russia has 61, Japan has sent 11, Canada has sent nine, Italy has sent six, France and Germany have each sent four, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates have each sent two, and there has been one person from Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Israel, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom

As of February 2025, nasa.gov states that there are 43 different modules and elements installed on the ISS. https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/international-space-station-assembly-elements/

 

Musk wants to shut it all down in favour of a contract for him to go to Mars.

(reminds me of SpaceX pushing out Verizon for the FAA contract)

Do you think the space station is going to become  Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets?

[Deluge]

3 hours ago, Radiorum said:

The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). As the largest space station ever constructed, it primarily serves as a platform for conducting scientific experiments in microgravity and studying the space environment

As of 24 October 2024, 281 people representing 23 countries had visited the space station, many of them multiple times. The United States has sent 167 people, Russia has 61, Japan has sent 11, Canada has sent nine, Italy has sent six, France and Germany have each sent four, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates have each sent two, and there has been one person from Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Israel, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom

As of February 2025, nasa.gov states that there are 43 different modules and elements installed on the ISS. https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/international-space-station-assembly-elements/

 

Musk wants to shut it all down in favour of a contract for him to go to Mars.

(reminds me of SpaceX pushing out Verizon for the FAA contract)

It's a good idea, and it certainly beats the shit out of any bullshit idea your side has come up with.