The US Government should commit to equip the International Space Station with ion thrusters, so that when the planned end of mission for the ISS arrives, it can be slowly boosted into a higher orbit to serve as a living museum of early space exploration. This project can be conducted for relatively little cost (less than the cost of one fiscal quarter of the war in Afghanistan), will help improve the economy by stimulating research and development of the technologies involved, increase employment of engineering and technical professions, and provide a lasting monument to international cooperation in space. Skylab was allowed to re-enter and be destroyed; let's prevent that from happening to the first real, permanent manned space station.



