We can’t do anything ‘worthy of a great nation’ within the current human spaceflight budget.” This is how many, both in Washington and elsewhere, are interpreting the findings of the Augustine committee, appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to rethink the future of human spaceflight. They apparently believe Moon and Mars trips are the only exciting things a space program can do — and that only the government can do it. So they conclude either that government needs to spend lots more money so we can do something worthwhile, or that we need to accept dramatically more modest, and less expensive, goals.

Two roads diverge for the international space station (ISS). The easy one leads to certain failure. The other offers discomfort, risk and the possibility of success beyond our wildest imaginings.