Research outpost beyond the sky [International Space Station]

Just designing the International Space Station (ISS) has been an odyssey, taking two years longer than getting the first humans to the moon (1961-69) with Project Apollo. Here, the author describes how, now years after it was initially proposed, major parts of the ISS are at last being built, and the first of these should be launched in late 1997. When completed, ISS will be the most expensive international space project ever, with current estimates at more than US $100 billion for launch, construction, and operation for a 10-year period