Space Station
The mold for the space station was broken with the creation and use of the original Mir in the 80′s and 90′s. Previously, space stations had not seen continuous use to a great extent, but the idea that Space Station Mir saw at least one person living in it on end for almost a decade was an inspiration for other space complexes to follow. This enterprise, while an achievement of science, unfortunately did not wholly reflect the sense of global community the sciences in their purest form aim to promote, as Mir was distinctly a Soviet-/Russian-run construct.
The International Space Station, meanwhile, is a credit to its name because its continued construction has only been possible through the cooperation of several nations. While economic realities may have greased the proverbial wheels of this agreement, the fact remains that the Space Station is a byproduct of funding from the American space program (NASA), as well as contributions from the governments of Russia, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency. The International Space Station is quite possibly the most expensive item ever made, costing its international patrons billions of dollars. Certainly, it is the largest object, space station or otherwise, to be placed into orbit, so much so that it may actually be seen with the naked eye. The International Space Station is arguably more pointed in its aims, too. While space station missions of previous decades (with the notable exception of Mir, which did allow for visits from American spacecraft) seemed as much a means of perpetuating the Cold War as a means of extending our understanding on life in space, the ISS is operating from under a different political climate, and its studies on physics in microgravity and biological changes in space are of heightened import.
It should be noted the International Space Station is not without its detractors. As discussed, the costs inherent in its construction and operation, neither which have ceased, are considerable, and will likely be repaid in the years to come after it is decommissioned. The numbers what they are, to be fair, it is hard to put a price on the scientific discoveries that are occurring year by year aboard the Space Station. Nevertheless, one must wonder about the practical applications of this research. The operation of the International Space Station creates somewhat unique conditions for life, ones that life as we know it on Earth can’t adequately approximate. Therefore, the data collected aboard the ISS is best used as a model for future space travel and colonization attempts, which will involve considerable sums in themselves. Extended occupations of space are truly exciting, but judgments should be made on the necessity of such research as part of a cost-benefit analysis.