Starship Asterisk*

Does anybody know if the ISS is set to be enlarged - and if so, by how much?

Here is the schedule of future shuttle flights. You can see that most contain scientific modules for the ISS but others do have further truss and solar array segments.

Look at the two interactives [Integrated Truss Structure and Station Explorer] on the right in this NASA page
Unfortunately all future missions and payloads are "under review" with the re-grounding of the shuttle fleet

Thanks BB!

Not having studied the ISS in any detail to this point I was surprised to find that as of the next flight, STS-121 with Assembly ULF1.1, the station will look like:



Six further flights will vastly increase the power generation capabilities of the station.

The last of this series will be STS-120 with Assembly 10A after which the station will look like: [with node 2 in highlight]


This final completion of the U.S. core ISS assembly is to include Node 2 [of 3] to which the Japanese, Europeans and others are to attach further power hungry modules - including a major centrifuge unit.

Some of the even more distant flights have even further truss/solar array elements to attach.
Then there's always the third node and whatever's to attach to it.

Is there a final 'urban plan' or will the ISS continue to evolve like a hampster's cage, into a neighborhood of attached modules and airlocks criss-crossing like some M.C.Eischer[Relativity] drawing?

ISS today

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=19495

Orin

Orion thank you for the link

What dreams are made from.