It, being Space-X's planned MCT in case that wasn't clear.

Who says that the best plan is to perform lots of lengthy construction in LEO? Beyond dwarfing the lift capacity of the modules that form ISS it may also render Mars direct (or almost - send up one with all the hardware & fill it's expansive resevoirs with a second or even third) preferable.

As for reuse of raw materials, other than for consumables like water and maybe ammonia, there is little to profitably mine usefully from ISS for a Mars mission. If the seals are unreliable to the point they want to abandon ISS, nobody will risk lives reusing them as modules.

Who says ISS is better adapted to performing on-orbit construction better than something newer built for the purpose and without the political circus that comes with ISS? You?

If, as hoped, Space-X brings it's MCT online with as few problems as the Falcon 9 has had, ISS's assemblage of bite-sized modules is going to look old real quick.

The difference here being that I wasn't the one making stupid biased public comments. As for more and more and more and more government spending being "good", well let's just say that living in France under socialists has given me another perspective, one where private enterprise goes down the tubes until unemployment goes through the roof. Your nirvana, I'm sure...

It's simpler than that. After 14 successful launches (just 2 more) Space-X is automatically certified. The forces attempting to turn Space-x into a ULA clone were betting on a launch failure or two to slow Space-X down and justify that their way was the only path to space. Space-X's pushback on the changes mean that they are extremely likely to become certified without the burocracy. These changes are just the retrograde elements changing sides before that happens In an attempt to stay relevent.

No. See yesterday's story linked in the summary. The AF is finally waking up and discovering that they do not need to try and turn Space-X into a clone of ULA to certify them. That Space-X would be automatically certified after 14 successful flights (2 more to go) has absolutely nothing to do with anyone realizing that the requested changes were as necessary as some (like you) pretend.

Snort. Because the democrats who dominated congress up to now have done sooo well at eliminating graft & pork. Hell, we can barely remember what those are thanks to the wonderful dems taking care of all that is wrong in the world and sprinkling fairy dust in our morning cereal...

Find a new axe to grind, your old one is worn out.

You're been relativizing the risks, in particular painting bathtubs as a greater danger than ISIS or ebola because that is how you perceive risks to yourself in your protected bubble. You're don neckbeard the ignorant, pompously opining on subjects like danger to the public when you have no idea what real danger is & refuse to educate yourself.

Good point on Malaria, but again, you need to tell it to people in western africa dying of ebola & people in Iraq dying in conflict with ISIS, etc where bathtubs are not the threat you make them out to be.

Your opining from the comfort of your protected bubble shows the lack of empathy that some personal experience with danger would correct.

You're the tireless freedom fighter putting his life on the line to protect us all? Yeah sure, I can see how plausible that could be to someone as self delusional as don neckbeard.

You stay in your protected society protected from almost all of the really bad things in the world & continue to tell everybody else how bad you have it & how remote any real danger is.

If only you would leave your protected bubble and spend time in western Africa or Northern Iraq you would discover how wrong you are. No chance of that huh? So much easier to continue your puerile whining.

You warm yourself around that pilot light you call the community that will unite & overthrow all the "spooks" as you put it elsewhere. I'll note that even with a president elected on a platform to supposedly roll back everything you denounce came to precisely nothing.

With Isis, Putin, Ebola, etc in the world, you think that _this_ is "one of if not the closent things to a dragon in the world", then talk in the next sentence about "species survival"?!?! Talk about self delusion, you _ARE_ don Neckbeard. Remember this moment don Neckbeard if you are lucky enough to live another few decades and think about how wrong you were to predict the disparition of your so called useless "spooks".

I suggested that you make the attempt, assuming that you would do so using the simplest method: Holding your breath. After multiple attempts & achieving nothing I'd hoped that your oxygen deprived mind would come to the realization that tilting at windmills is futile. It was a forlorn hope Don Neckbeard...

No, Candide, these practices are NOT new, nor are they in any way different from the espionage nations & kingdoms & city-states have been engaging in since mankind began to write on papyrus & clay tablets.