[BobL]

“What an expensive exercise in absolute futility.”

Agree. Let’s see, at, say $3B per year to keep up there - if we de-orbited it tomorrow, that would free up $30B or so over the next 10 years for much more important stuff...like helping Obama fund his health care take over.

(do you seriously think that NASA will ever see a penny out of this program if it is canceled...there are MUCH higher priorities in this administration)

[Arkinsaw]

Agree. Let’s see, at, say $3B per year to keep up there - if we de-orbited it tomorrow, that would free up $30B or so over the next 10 years for much more important stuff...like helping Obama fund his health care take over.

I don't understand de-orbiting at all. Send up some rockets to push it out to the L-5 point and leave it there. We might need the metal someday for some other purpose.

We spent enough to get that stuff out of the gravity well, might as well leave it.