Correct, the DOD has never performed a cradle to grave manned mission. It has always relied on NASA. Any DOD manned program was eventually put (and still is) under the protective wing of NASA HSF. And in the age of austerity, that is where it will remain.

Putting a hatch in the heatshield with no other mods does not qualify as “configured for MOL operations”

Learn something about spaceflight history for once.

No, no. Wrong.

“China is a paranoid superpower not interested in war per se, but will seize every advantage up to that point.”

Do you know of any country that would not do any of what you say? Come on.

DoD’s white paper on China points out they understand the need to deny the US access to it’s satellites in any conflict as they are key to almost all US military action world wide. China’s deliberate collision of two satellites in 2009 was a direct warning to the US that they could take out US military capability world wide very inexpensively. China is a paranoid superpower not interested in war per se, but will seize every advantage up to that point.

Neither Wolf nor Griffin are narrow minded on this issue.

China’s goal is not world hegemony but rather to “join the club” of world leaders that can ensure the global stability and growth its ecomony depends on. For that reason China would like to be invited to join the ISS program. Although purely symbolic, it would position China as one of a group of world leaders working in concert. From the US point of view, it would help diffuse tensions, not only between China and the US, but between China and Japan, China and India, China and Russia.

So I was astonished when Mike Griffin, participating in a conference in China, was invited to tour their launch facilities. According to press reports he asked if he would be allowed to see everything at the site, without restriction. When his hosts understandably demurred, he flatly refused the invitation, saying he had seen more than enough launch pads. For a senior US official to insult his hosts so flagrantly is an inexplicable as the torrent of attacks that have dogged his successor whenever he attempts to improve relations with a foreign power. I would have to consider both Mr. Griffin and Representative Wolf to be both shortsighted and narrow minded.

The world is far more likely to end in nuclear confrontation than in asteroidal impact. Paradoxically, even for the former NASA can help reduce the risk. It wants only the substitution of reason for xenophobia.

“You’re making a positive claim without any evidence to back it up. ”

It feels difficult at times to deal with those who live in a different side of the reality… It leads to circle arguments with no end. I am done with Frank until he can back up any of his argument(s). Any.

“Therefore, your conclusions are at least as speculative as mine.”
No they’re not.

You’re making a positive claim without any evidence to back it up. The default position is to dismiss it until supporting evidence is presented.

I think I’ll leave it at that but I assume you have proof that the ISS is used for espionage?

My current opinion is that it will be *one* of its functions, yes. Presumably some basic science and other kinds of engineering development will be among the other functions. Those, BTW, are some of the reasons anyone builds *any* space station.

“And they would answer me because…”

It’s not at all likely that they would. That’s my point. You’re quite welcome to reject my opinion, but you may not get a complete, if any, answer from the actual source, either. Therefore, your conclusions are at least as speculative as mine.