The report on the Columbia space shuttle disaster has provoked a widespread debate about the future of space exploration. Meanwhile, a half-completed space station orbits above us with a skeleton crew. In this special report, space experts James Oberg and Anatoly Zak with IEEE Spectrum Associate Editor Stephen Cass examine the state of the station and what needs to be done to ensure that it provides value for money. The station must be completed so that it can support a six-person crew, and NASA should make preparing for future interplanetary missions the driving force behind the station's operation and future development, according to the authors. China's space station ambitions--and the possibilities for competition or cooperation--are also discussed.
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