[RightWhale]

EU will have the whole ISS to itself by 2010. Surely they can keep the dust bunnies under control without outside assistance.

[af_vet_rr]

If the EU can't run the ISS by itself, it's got no business being in space. Don't we have some spare Saturn Vs sitting around somewhere mothballed we can send up and make a quick and just as efficient space station.

[CasearianDaoist]

That is not true, I do not know where is comes from, the shuttle stops at 2010 but we will still have our sections. After that we may lease some of it out to universities or even business. Remember one of the requirements of the new spave vehicle is that it can tranfer crews to the ISS. Why would they need such a thing if they transfered all ownership. Anyway, the ESA is not set up to run it at this point and they would have to drasically reorient their budget to do so. This idea is not in Bush;s speech but merely in media reports. I think we should wait and see what the review team proposes.