The ISS Marks 10 Years In Space

Matt_dk writes to point out the upcoming tenth anniversary of the International Space Station in two days' time. "On 20 November 1998, a Russian Proton rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a historic mission: It was carrying the first module of the International Space Station ISS, named Zarya (Russian for 'dawn'). This cargo and control module, which weighs about 20 tonnes and is almost 13 meters long, provides electrical power, propulsion, flight path guidance and storage space. The launch of the module... heralded a new era in space exploration, as, for the first time ever, lasting cooperation in space was achieved between Russia, the US, Europe, Canada and Japan. Over the next ten years, many other modules were brought into orbit, and ISS developed into the largest human outpost in space. Since that time, the building blocks, transported by Russian launch vehicles or the US Space Shuttle, have expanded the ISS to the size of a soccer pitch and a current total mass of about 300 tons."

Comments

Re:Should it really cost as much as it does?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Horrified" by a few bucks? You've got to be kidding me!! How about a nice cup of "fsking reality"?

Add up the trillions in debt: Any collective solution will only compound our problems, because the cumulative debt will overwhelm us, make matters worse:

1.
America's credit rating may soon be downgraded below AAA
2.
Fed refusal to disclose $2 trillion loans, now the new "shadow banking system"
3.
Congress has no oversight of $700 billion, and Paulson's Wall Street Trojan Horse
4.
King Henry Paulson flip-flops on plan to buy toxic bank assets, confusing markets
5.
Goldman, Morgan lost tens of billions, but planning over $13 billion in bonuses this year
6.
AIG bails big banks out of $150 billion in credit swaps, protects shareholders before taxpayers
7.
American Express joins Goldman, Morgan as bank holding firms, looking for Fed money
8.
Treasury sneaks corporate tax credits into bailout giveaway, shifts costs to states
9.
State revenues down, taxes and debt up; hiring, spending, borrowing add even more debt
10.
State, municipal, corporate pensions lost hundreds of billions on derivative swaps
11.
Hedge funds: 610 in 1990, almost 10,000 now. Returns down 15%, liquidations up
12.
Consumer debt way up, now at $2.5 trillion; next area for credit meltdowns
13.
Fed also plans to provide billions to $3.6 trillion money-market fund industry
14.
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are bleeding cash, want to tap taxpayer dollars
15.
Washington manipulating data: War not $600 billion but estimates actually $3 trillion
16.
Hidden costs of $700 billion bailout are likely $5 trillion; plus $1 trillion Street write-offs
17.
Commodities down, resource exporters and currencies dropping, triggering a global meltdown
18.
Big three automakers near bankruptcy; unions, workers, retirees will suffer
19.
Corporate bond market, both junk and top-rated, slumps more than 25%
20.
Retailers bankrupt: Circuit City, Sharper Image, Mervyns; mall sales in free fall
21.
Unemployment heading toward 8% plus; more 1930's photos of soup lines
22.
Government policy is dictated by 42,000 myopic, highly paid, greedy lobbyists
23.
China's sees GDP growth drop, crates $586 billion stimulus; deflation is now global, hitting even Dubai
24.
Despite global recession, U.S. trade deficit continues, now at $650 billion
25.
The 800-pound gorillas: Social Security, Medicare with $60 trillion in unfunded liabilities