When All Else May Succeed, There's Always the International Space Station. (January 5, 2005)

So far no US aspirational presidential candidate has vowed to ditch funding further development of the International Space Station as a demonstration of his/her economic credentials, common sense and intelligence but he/she ought.

The redoubtable Bob Park reports:

 ATLANTIS: STUCK ON A LAUNCH PAD FOR ANOTHER MONTH.

    There it sits like a monument to past glories, on the launch pad where it has been for a month.

ASSEMBLING THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION: A GIANT PUZZLE

Credit: Cadmos

Maybe in another month they will get the fuel gauge working, but by then a Russian cargo ship may be blocking the docking port on the ISS. The aging shuttle was to have been launched on December 6.  They still have 13 launches to go in the next two years to complete the  ISS in time to abandon it on schedule.