“How the space station became a base …

5. Mr. Chang writes that the space station “has become the hub of promoting capitalism in space.” What evidence does it provide to support this claim?

6. What is the future of the International Space Station? What happens when it is withdrawn? What role will private companies play?

7. The article closes with the thoughts of Michael T. Sffredini, who was in charge of the NASA space station program for a decade from 2005 to 2015:

Mr. Suffredini said the current life path in orbit follows the path of the previous exploration of new areas. “Every government that scouts in human history sends some government-funded people to do a relatively risky thing just to see what’s there,” he said.

If there is anything of value, the pioneers and eventually the settlers follow. “To reach low Earth orbit,” Suffredini said, “we have to reach the pioneering stage, which is what we are really doing.”

What does Mr. Suffredini mean by “pioneers” and “settlers”? How do you think the experience on the International Space Station will support the future of space exploration and colonization? What do you think is the legacy of the ISS?

Go ahead

Option 1: share your thoughts.

• How do you react to the article? What was the most fascinating, fascinating or surprising thing you have read? Are you more interested in the International Space Station or in space travel and exploration in general?

• Mark Kelly, a former astronaut who lived on the space station and is Scott Kelly’s twin brother, wrote in a 2018 opinion paper, “Don’t give up the International Space Station”:

It was the United States that pushed the international coalition of 16 nations to build the space station. Building this outpost in space required dozens of missions over a decade and considerable money. It is clearly one of the most complicated engineering projects that people have done.

It’s not perfect and it’s not meant to last, but what the International Space Station offers people and nations is remarkable – an important opportunity to work together on shared scientific goals that are largely free of politics and almost entirely free of influences of our planet …

But all of this will come to a halt (even if you won’t hear the “screech” in the vacuum of space) when the Trump administration finishes funding the International Space Station program after 2024, a move it is considering. The reasons are unclear, although President Trump has said he wants to prioritize human travel to the moon.

Regardless of priorities, this type of compromise is shortsighted. A funding cut for the station, which now fluctuates between $ 3 billion and $ 4 billion a year, would be a step backwards for the space agency and certainly not in the country’s best interest.

Should the US government continue to fund the International Space Station? Or is it better for private companies to build and maintain these new companies? What is the use of the International Space Station for humanity and our future?

• Would you like to visit or spend time on the International Space Station? What do you think you would like most? What do you think would be the hardest part of living there?

• Make some predictions: Do you think ordinary people (who are not astronauts) will live on space stations like the International Space Station for the next 20 years? Do you think you will ever live in space in your life?

Option 2: write a letter home – aboard the International Space Station!

Imagine living on the International Space Station: write a letter home telling friends and loved ones about your life aboard an outpost 250 miles above the Earth.

Describe your daily life and routines such as sleeping, eating and exercising as you float weightlessly in an environment of microgravity, the challenges you face and the discoveries, joys and beauties you see and feel.

For help with your letter, you can first take a visual tour of the International Space Station in the Times Photo Essay, Home Sweet Home in Orbit. Or read the Times science writer’s collection of musings and thoughts to celebrate the anniversary in The International Space Station: Twenty Years of Promise, Danger, and Fun. You can also visit the NASA website for more information on the space station and its missions.