Over 230 individuals have visited the space station. It orbits some 240 miles above the Earth’s surface, traveling around the globe every 90 minutes.

Together with its large arrays of solar panels that provide power, the station would cover a football field. The station’s pressurized interior - the part astronauts live and work in - is about the size of the inside of a 747. It took 37 space shuttle flights and five Russian rockets to launch its various components. NASA, the Russian space agency, and 13 other countries built and run it jointly. The ISS, as the space station is commonly known, is by far the largest man-made object ever to orbit the Earth. Ted Cruz (R-TX) held hearings in May and June to voice opposition. NASA says it will save money by “leveraging private industry capacity, innovation, and competitiveness.” But it’s not just Democrats who are opposed to Bridenstine’s plan. Since taking office as NASA’s administrator in April, Jim Bridenstine (previously a member of Congress from Oklahoma with no scientific background) has pushed this scheme, most recently in an interview this week with the Washington Post. Even by the standards of a business-happy Republican Party, privatizing the International Space Station - the Trump administration’s latest scheme - is a conspicuously terrible idea.

Shuttle scuttle backgrounds