There is speculation that the International Space Station will be turned into a rendezvous point for future space travel. Why you ask? Well, indeed it would be perfect for nations wishing to go to the moon and back, or even to travel to Mars, perhaps to establish colonies, or outposts. It also makes sense due to the fact that Private Space Flight enterprises may need a docking station or half way point when bring people to and from the moon.
Why all the speculation recently?
As the Space Shuttle launched on its twenty-fifth anniversary the announcer called said that the millions of pounds of hardware and humans [and fuel] are on their way to the International Outpost, not the International Space Station; of course, for the rest of the announcement, he called it the International Space Station [ISS]; but, are we beginning to see a turn in the future of space flight?
The reality is that it may have been planned or perhaps a Freudian Slip, but it surely did wake up many in the private space industry, and several conspiracy theory websites. It might be interesting if the ISS uses money from such docking trips to secure its financial future, and it might just usher in a new age of space. And using IOP instead of ISS is not a big deal, as long as they do not call it the IHOP, as it is hard to eat pancakes in zero gravity. So, perhaps, you might consider all this and what it potentially means to the future of mankind.
Source by Lance Winslow