International Space Station

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was unveiled, called “Freedom.” A “power tower” concept was designed, which is a long slender unit that would be the center of the entire structure. This tower would be a long, narrow piece of latticework, chosen for its stability and to avoid the use of every day thrusts to maintain its altitude. All the laboratory modules would then surround the “power tower.” A free-flyer module would be used to conduct experiments in incessant, stable conditions away form the main tower structure.
The “power tower” concept required too many parts and shuttle missions for it to be completed. That would force the cost of the project to exceed NASA’s budget. The following year in 1985, a new, updated station concept was drafted. This was called the “dual keel” concept, and included two vertical towers joined and braced together with three horizontal beams. This structure would allow four pressurized operable and ...

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hopefully cutting the skyrocketing costs. Phase 1 would be the horizontal and vertical structure beams, and the four main pressurized modules. Phase 2, which will not start until the first one is totally completed, would bring up everything else that was constructed for use on the station. The second phase seemed a little to drastic and once again; NASA had to make changes to its “Freedom Phase” station.
Money was still the constant problem that seems to be endangering the entire project. Even breaking the project into phases still amounted to about $25 billion. This is above the original $8.5 billion, which brought many arguments from congress. In 1990 the budget ...

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