ISS Shut Down in 2015-2016?

Russia to send manned mission to the Moon by 2025 – space agency, Novosti

“The agency chief said that in 2016-25, after the ISS is put out of operation, Russia plans to deploy a platform in a low-earth orbit to assemble spacecraft. The United States has said the station should be scrapped in 2015, while Russia has proposed using the Russian segment until 2020. Perminov said: “The ISS will be transformed into a laboratory complex where research will be conducted.”

Editor’s note: Let’s see: NASA spends 1984-1998 designing and then building the ISS; 1998-2010 deploying and completing it (that’s 26 years) and then only 5-6 years using it in its completed configuration? Sadly, this is more than just bad translation and Russian arm waving. And NASA wonders why some in Congress question NASA’s current plan to implement the VSE?