[Names Ash Housewares]

When Discovery undocks, and the pictures start coming down of the new solar array in place, the ISS will have taken on the appearanch of so many of the early arists renderings of Space Station Freedom that Ronald Reagan announced in 1984.

It is impossible for me to not think of President Reagan at this time.

"We can follow our dreams to distant stars, living and working in space for peaceful economic and scientific gain". -President Ronald Wilson Reagan 1984

This station will always be known to many of us as "Freedom".

Thank you President Reagan, it was a long road to get to this point, many twists and turns, and international partners added, and more challenges to go to be sure. I know you would be proud of America's resolve to lead on the frontiers.

The nations that lead on the frontiers, dictate the course of human history.

[SunTzuWu]

Click this link http://www.tietronix.com/anim/MoviePlayer.asp?myMovie=movies/assembly640x360.swf for an animated look at the piece by piece assembly of the ISS. It's an amazing accomplishment.

[twister881]

May God bless the memory of Ronald Reagan. He restored the American spirit, regained the respect of our allies & the fear of our enemies, and defeated Soviet-style communism. And now Star Wars and the ISS are realities. Big dreams and setting high standards produce results. The small thinking of the Marxist usurper who currently occupies the White House will be tossed upon the ash heap of history.

[Yossarian]

I still wish they could have continued with funding for the inflatable TransHab:

Now that would represent a major break-through in manned space operations!

[Wissa]

The NASA channel would get a lot more people watching the ISS coverage if the female astronauts would wear uniforms like they have in the first Sar Trek series.

[Moonman62]

Sorry, but the ISS is not space station Freedom. It’s in a Russian orbit for crying out loud.

[KevinDavis]

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[RckyRaCoCo]

Been watching it go overhead the last few nights. Just a big bright star...but very cool.

[SunkenCiv]

Spanning the length of a football field (including the end zones) and weighing approximately the same as a loaded space shuttle orbiter, the International Space Station's (ISS) integrated truss, or backbone, was completed in orbit this week after nine years of assembly. "We're the largest space structure in all of history and it is really amazing to be on-board," exclaimed ISS Expedition 18 commander Mike Fincke on the morning after the final piece of the truss was attached. The 356-foot, girder-like truss supports the station's living modules and laboratories, as well as eight 115-foot solar array wings that generate as much electricity as would be needed to power 42 2,800 square foot homes.

Now, by way of mischievous contrast let's check out this: [snip] Skylab was the first US space station and the world's first big space station. It was launched on May 14th, 1973 by a Saturn V Rocket... Structure Weight: 91 metric ton (100-ton); Height: 36 metres (118 feet); Diamater: 6.7 metres (22 feet); ...Orbital Mass: 77,088kg; Habitable Volume: 283 cubic metres (10,000 cubic feet) [end]