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stefanSfermat t1_jcadpix wrote

Reply to comment by Pharisaeus in NASA wants new 'deorbit tug' to bring space station down in 2030 by DevilsRefugee

Some parts? 🤣

I am discussing the need for a general-purpose LEO utility vehicle. It is extremely unlikely that we would ever attempt to bring the ISS in its entirety, fully assembled, back to ground.

You can't move a house with a pickup truck, but a pickup truck is definitely an asset on a job site.

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Pharisaeus t1_jcaecu7 wrote

> Some parts? 🤣

Yes. Large part of the ISS was not launched on the Shuttle. Zarya, Zvezda, Pirs, Poisk, Nauka, Prichal were not. And Mir and recently Tiangong proved you don't need a Shuttle to construct a modular space station.

> the need for a general-purpose LEO utility vehicle

No such need ever existed, and history showed how stupid idea this was. It was bad as a launcher because you needed a crew, which made it extremely expensive and dangerous. It was also bad as a manned craft, because you had a huge vehicle with a tiny manned part. The only scenarios where it was useful was Hubble refurbishing and SpaceLab missions. Everything else, including ISS construction, could have been done much cheaper by regular rockets.

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stefanSfermat t1_jcaf62k wrote

Yes, you could likely construct a house with an axe and nothing else. That doesn't mean a saw and other carpentry tools wouldn't be useful.

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