Basic Research for Industrial Exploitation (Score 1)

They should convert the Station from a lame science experiment to a facility to study and practice In Orbit Assembly and Manufacturing. Both of these could help lead us towards space-based power systems, crewed missions to other planets, astroid mining, and material sorting and processing in zero-g. How does one smelt the material recovered from an astroid? Clean and process water ice? Manufacture structural members?

One of the big redesign expenses (besides idiot micro-management from congress) was resolving stability issues in the station's structure. It's very large size and near-earth orbit tended to result in the structure "bucking". The practical prototyping of space structures--such as inflatables, tension systems, and structural components manufactured "on site", could greatly reduce the cost of future missions and provide a much higher confidence level during the design phase of projects.

If we really want to move into space then these are the sorts of activities we need to persue. Once your structures get much larger than the Space Station the current methods of design and construction are inadequate, too costly, and too risky--arguably that is already true.